Laois homelessness charity gears up for annual cycle fundraiser
Portlaoise charity invites all to take part in their fun fundraiser!
A Laois charity dedicated to supporting local families experiencing hardship and people nationally experiencing homelessness have announced the upcoming launch of their annual charity cycle.
Portlaoise Action to Homelessness (PATH) will officially launch their annual fundraising initiative, two consecutive fun cycles.
“This is our third annual cycle, we will be taking the same route as last year,” PATH chairperson Jason McEvoy told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.
“We will be holding a 53km cycle and a longer 100km cycle. They’re fun cycles for those who want to get out and support a good cause, they aren’t races,” he explained.
PATH volunteers will be fundraising in Tesco in Fairgreen this weekend, from 11am to 6pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“People can donate, or they can buy something extra and put it in our trolley for the homeless or Laois families. Without donations, we have nothing to donate,” Mr McEvoy said.
This year, PATH are delighted to have their t-shirts sponsored by Mars through their company Kind.
The registration fee is €35 per person, and €50 to register on the day.
“Things are worse than ever at the moment. We were in Dublin last night with a full van of supplies, it was filled to death with sandwiches, sleeping bags, plenty of water, non perishable foods and loads of clothes and toiletries.
“We don’t leave until the van is empty, and it emptied fairly early. Even in Portlaoise, we see large crowds of local service users. We look after people as best we can.
“People tend to congregate in Dublin, it’s where the services are. We aren’t looking after people in Dublin, we’re looking after all the people up there,” Mr McEvoy said.
“We get no funding, beyond the quarterly Food Cloud from the EU. We have excellent volunteers in Laois and in Lucan, we have teamed up with Bernadette and Lucan Homeless Donations. We would love to thank our volunteers for their continuous help in our quest to supply the homeless with vital supplies,” he finished.
PATH will hold their annual charity cycle on Saturday, July 25, leaving from Portlaoise Plaza. Registration begins at 8am, with the 53km cycle setting off at 9:30am. The 100km cycle will leave at 9:15am.
A fantastic raffle will be held on the day, with a huge variety of exciting prizes up for grabs.
For more information on the event, see Portlaoise Action to Homelessness’ Facebook page.