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Simon Week benefits from Denny sponsorship - 28.06.10
10th June 2010 – Denny has today announced that they will be the main sponsor of Simon Week, the Simon Communities of Ireland’s annual seven days of action on homelessness.
Simon Week 2010 will run from the 4th to the 10th of October. Over the course of the week a wide range of activities and events are planned throughout the country, to raise people’s awareness of homelessness in Ireland. This year the week will focus on Believing in People: believing in the people that turn to the eight local Simon communities around the country every day, believing in the thousands of volunteers and Simon supporters, and believing that with the appropriate housing, care and support people can and do leave homelessness behind them for good. Simon Week will also remind people that homelessness is more than not having a roof over your head or a set of keys; for many it means having many related needs including physical and mental health issues, and problem drug and alcohol use.
Commenting on the sponsorship announcement, Patrick Burke, CEO of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said: “We are delighted that Denny has come on board to sponsor Simon Week. This annual campaign represents a unique opportunity for us to raise awareness of homelessness in Ireland, to urge all sections of Irish Society to understand the causes of homelessness in Ireland, and to take action to challenge and tackle homelessness in their locality. During our seven days of action on homelessness we are calling on members of the general public, politicians and business people to find out more about what actions you can take to help end homelessness in Ireland. With the support of Denny we hope this year builds on the success of last year.”
Tricia Burke, Marketing Manager of Denny, part of the Kerry Food Group, commented, “We are delighted to announce a further commitment to the Simon Communities of Ireland, following on from our three year partnership with this well established charity, who work with some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in Irish society. Denny realises the importance of home and family, and our campaigns focus on Irish people’s taste of home, but we are also acutely aware of people on the margins of society who do not have a home of their own, or face the possibility of becoming homeless. The work of the Simon Communities in Ireland is more important than ever and our aim is to assist them in raising awareness of homelessness during Simon Week 2010."
In addition to the sponsorship of Simon Week, Denny has just donated €50,000 to Simon, following on from the €50,000 that Denny donated before Christmas. Denny’s partnership with Simon is helping to support a range of high quality services provided throughout the country and in particular helping people who are vulnerable and marginalised to keep their tenancies. An example being Dundalk Simon Community who have enabled over 350 people who were homeless or living in emergency accommodation to move out of homelessness and into a home of their own.
Furthermore, Denny is donating €1 to Simon on behalf of each person who registers on Denny’s website this summer www.homeis.ie. Denny’s partnership with Simon will continue until at least 2012.
For further information, please contact
Niamh Sullivan or Gina Murphy
BespokeWithDirection
Niamh.sullivan@bespokewithdirection.ie
Gina.murphy@bespokewithdirection.ie
T: 01 665 1950 M: 087 061 7705
Niamh Randall
Simon Communities of Ireland
niamh@simoncommunity.com
087 618 8650 (01) 671 1606
Notes to Editor:
Denny, part of the Kerry Food Group, is the No. 1 brand in Ireland in sausages, rashers, cooked meats and sausage rolls. Denny’s extended portfolio also includes shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, frankfurters and pastry pies. The Denny name and its association with meat go back a long way to 1820.
www.homeis.ie
About the Simon Communities of Ireland:
The Simon Communities of Ireland is an affiliation of local Communities in Cork, Dublin, Dundalk, Galway, the Midlands, the Mid West, the North West and the South East. In addition, the National Office performs a coordinating role in terms of campaigning in the areas of housing/homeless policy and the wider poverty and social inclusion agenda; best practice in service delivery and working with people who are homeless; and in the area of full time volunteering promoting excellence and providing accredited training.
The Simon Communities throughout Ireland provide the best possible care, accommodation and support for people experiencing homelessness and those at risk. Together, with people who are homeless, we tackle the root causes, promote innovative responses and urge the government to fulfil their commitments. Simon delivers support and service to between 4,500 and 5,000 individuals and families who experience - or are at risk of - homelessness on an annual basis.
About Simon Week 2010:
Simon Week is a national awareness campaign and will take place from the 4th to the 10th of October 2010 and will involve a wide range of events and activities at a local, regional and national level. This is the third annual Simon Week which has grown from year to year; Simon Week 2010 promises to build on the huge successes of Simon Week 2008 and 2009.
Simon Week is an opportunity for the Simon Communities all around Ireland to raise awareness of homelessness, to urge all sections of Irish Society to understand the causes of homelessness in Ireland and to take action to challenge and tackle homelessness in their locality. The Week also celebrates the contribution of hundreds of volunteers to the work of the Simon Communities throughout the country.
Simon Week – Believe in People. Seven days of action on homelessness.