The County Carlow Chamber of Commerce were pleased to present St Clare’s Hospitality Kitchen with €1845 which was raised by members through a series of events hosted towards the end of last year.  Over the past number of years, the Chamber has hosted “Chamber Members for Charity”, a series of events in support of its nominated charity partner for the year, and despite the challenges of the pandemic the members were intent on continuing this support of local charities.

St Clare’s Hospitality Kitchen the chosen charity partner for 2020 based in Mill Lane in Carlow, first opened its doors in 2015 serving food 3 days a week to those who needed it most in our community. The Kitchen now operates 5 days a week – Monday to Friday – from 12.30pm until 14.30pm.  There are currently upwards of 70 meals being provided daily with over 16,500 annually and the kitchen is run predominantly by volunteers.  Despite the pandemic, the team at St Clare’s continue to support many in the community with meals being delivered.

The series opened at the start of November with several training programmes including Effective Telephone Sales Techniques, Linkedin for Business and Sales Planning & Lead Generation.  These training programmes were partnered with a tailored Digital Health Check programme, offering participating companies the services of a mentor, who worked with them to audit and advise on their digital presence including web, social media etc. The programme of events was supported by Carlow County Council and the Carlow Local Enterprise Office, with the funds for participation all going to Chamber Members for Charity.

President of the County Carlow Chamber Colin Duggan, on presenting the funds raised to Fr John Dunphy on behalf of St Clare’s Hospitality Kitchen said “The last 12 months have been challenging for businesses and communities everywhere, however our support of local charities like St Clare’s Hospitality Kitchen who are there for the members of our community is vital.  The Chamber Members for Charity series has worked to highlight and support a number of local charities over the last few years, and we are delighted to continue this especially when this support is most needed.”

The County Carlow Chamber is an independent organisation, working on behalf of member businesses across the county.  For further information visit www.carlowchamber.com or contact them via e-mail on admin@carlowchamber.com.

Photo: Presenting the funds to St Clares Hospitality Kitchen.  (L-R) Yvonne Jones, Co Carlow Chamber Board; Fr John Dunphy P.P Graiguecullen Killeshin Parish; Isobel Brooker, St Clare’s Hospitality Kitchen; Colin Duggan, President of County Carlow Chamber of Commerce