Bank of Ireland is donating €1 million in emergency funding to communities across the island of Ireland with urgent needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bank is fast-tracking half of this to 13 organisations that are supporting vulnerable groups with immediate needs.
This support is being delivered to projects which will help children and older people, victims of domestic abuse, those suffering from rural isolation, cancer support, mental health challenges and food distribution.
The remaining €500,000 is being donated to The Community Foundation for Ireland and the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland’s COVID-19 Funds.
These funds will be launched this week and will help local charities and community organisations.
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The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland will immediately receive €150k, with €100k going to their CV19 emergency fund and €50k shared evenly between Aware Northern Ireland and Cruse Bereavement Care NI.
Aware NI is seeking to address the mental health challenges that Covid-19 will present over coming months. €25,000 will enable two projects to expand to better support people with depression and bi-polar disorder: The AWARE Mindfulness Programme and the Mood Matters Programme.
Cruse is proposing to set up a Bereavement Befrienders project for people aged over 60. Members of the Friendship Groups and bereavement volunteers aged 60 and over will provide friendship over the telephone for those going through loss because of coronavirus.
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Francesca McDonagh, Group CEO at Bank of Ireland commented: “This is a time of crisis, and some of those most affected by it are also the most vulnerable in our society. They need help now, so we’ve structured this support in a way that it can get to them as quickly as possible."
The organisations working on Covid-19 specific projects who have received funding from Bank of Ireland are Aware Northern Ireland, Cruse Bereavement Care NI, Age Action, FoodCloud, Irish Cancer Society, SAFE Ireland, St Vincent de Paul, Irish Rural Link, COPD Support Ireland, Children’s Rights Alliance, with a joint project being worked on by Asthma Society of Ireland, Cystic Fibrosis and Lung Fibrosis Ireland.
Source: Written from press release
