ONE of the biggest fundraising drives for the Mayo/Roscommon Hospice Foundation this year was launched in Castlebar last week, when the Kavanagh Group of SuperValu Stores began a campaign that will seek to raise in excess of €60,000 in Mayo for the charity.
In total the company is aiming to raise over €100,000 across their stores in Clifden, Mayo and Donegal, with the proceeds set to go to relevant local hospice organisations in each area. The initiative was begun last year in Kavanaghs’ four stores in Donegal, who between them donated €41,100 to the Donegal Hospice Foundation – and were the single biggest contributors towards that charity last year.
Every time a customer swipes their ‘Real Rewards’ loyalty card at the checkout in one of Kavanaghs’ SuperValu Stores in Castlebar, Kiltimagh, Claremorris or in O’Connor’s SuperValu, Westport, for the next six months, a donation will be made by the company to Mayo/Roscommon Hospice. This funding will be complemented by many initiatives being planned for the summer and beyond by staff of the Kavanagh Group, which is to incorporate both in-store funding drives and outside events.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign in SuperValu/Castlebar – for which TV3 personality Noel Cunningham was on hand – CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice, Cynthia Clampett, paid tribute to the Kavanagh family and their staff for creating the campaign.
“When I heard the Kavanagh Group were coming on board I thought it was a Godsend,” she said. “We live in tough times and it is hard to raise funds.” Mrs Clampett explained that Mayo/Roscommon Hospice will require in excess of €1.3M in funding in 2012, to provide respite and home-care to 639 patients – 441 of whom are in Mayo alone. Saying that her organisation is often left to bridge the funding shortfall from statutory cuts, along with funding their essential services, she also explained that Mayo/Roscommon Hospice are hoping this year to build a 14 bed Hospice unit on HSE lands at Knockaphunta in Castlebar, as well as a family room in Mayo General Hospital.
“Shopping in SuperValu supports not only local suppliers and sustains local jobs, but now it will also support Mayo/Roscommon Hospice which is a win win situation,” she concluded.
Mr Noel Kavanagh, MD of The Kavanagh Group, described the initiative as very important and joked that as the campaign was so successful in Donegal last year, Mayo couldn’t be outshone by Donegal in 2012.
“We are hopeful that this can be pushed beyond this year and become a six month annual campaign,” he said. “Mayo/Roscommon Hospice are a wonderful organisation working in all our communities, and our own teams and individuals will work on all aspects of this to make it work. I hope this will be a long and fruitful partnership.”
The Mayo News
