Almost 21,000 people in Northern Ireland were helped by the Society of St Vincent de Paul during one week in December 2004.

Statistics from our 'SVP Week Questionnaire' have revealed that 20,928 people were helped with direct cash and material assistance between 4-11 December 2004.

These figures show the depth of deprivation within the community during just one week of the year. The cost of providing the above assistance was around £200,000 with over £108k of this in direct cash in 6,778 cases.

A further 599 elderly people were entertained at Christmas parties during the festive season and 69 dinners were delivered on Christmas Day to old people living alone.

We would like to take to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to our Appeals over the Christmas period and hope that you will continue to do so throughout the year.