For the fourth year now, the children from St Mary’s Church of Ireland School, Carrigaline, County Cork have collected non-perishable food and cleaning items for the well known local charity –  Cork Penny Dinners.

A St Valentine’s Day delivery to Cork Penny Dinners – Little Hanover Street, Cork

The idea is to  ‘Love your Neighbour for St Valentine’s Day’ and the children know that some of their neighbours who are experiencing hard times use the wonderful facility that is Cork Penny Dinners in Little Hanover Street, Cork.

Rowland Newenham with the children’s gifts

Each child in the school brings in something from home; a tin of beans, a packet of soup, toilet rolls, washing up liquid etc. These are piled up on the stage in the Canon McCrea Hall in the school until they are gathered up during the midterm break by the Rector, the Revd Elaine Murray. A parishioner, Rowland Newenham, very kindly loads up his van and drives into Cork City with all the goods. The volunteers who work in Penny Dinners are always delighted to see the full van arriving and complain that they haven’t enough room to store everything!

A van full of gifts from the school children of Carrigaline