Editorial: Those small acts of charity make a big difference

Two recently-published reports shed some interesting light on our interactions with charities and our culture of giving in Ireland.

The first, from the charities regulator, reveals that nine out of ten adults in Ireland donated to a charity over the last year.

Interestingly, the nature of those donations has changed over the past two years — perhaps as a result of people donating clothes, materials and foodstuffs to those suffering the effects of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

The number of people who made financial contributions to charities declined from 74% to 59%, while the numbers donating goods increased from 43% to 57%. Many charities rely on these donations from people, often through the form of fundraising events.

Another recent iResearch survey, carried out on behalf of AIB, showed that 73% of adults more inclined to donate to local charities than national ones.

It’s troubling to see Kilkenny-based Teac Tom’s plaintive appeal for support to keep its doors open in recent days. It’s an organisation that has helped local people who are going through a difficult time.

It has often been suggested that Ireland punches above its weight for example, when it comes to foreign aid and willingness to send help. We certainly have a large number of people who work in the charity and humanitarian sectors.

Often, it seems that it is those who are themselves in need that are the most willing to help others.

Take for example, the Native American Choctaw tribe who did what they could when they learned of Ireland’s travails in the Great Famine. In 1847, they met to raise money and sent $170 across the Atlantic to help feed people.

Similarly moved by sympathy, when the Masai Tribespeople in Kenya heard about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001, they donated 14 cows to the United States.

These stories of charitable acts warm our hearts, become part of our history, and hopefully inspire others to go and do likewise.