AN Irish-founded charity serving some of the most vulnerable people in Birmingham has received a £22,000 cash injection thanks to local fundraisers.
SIFA Fireside, which was founded in the city by Limerick-born nun Sister Sabina in 1980, recently received the £22,000 donation from an annual fundraiser organised by prominent supporters from Birmingham’s Irish community.
The group have been long-time supporters of SIFA Fireside, with the members regularly making donations of daily essentials such as tea, coffee and socks to SIFA Fireside’s Drop-In Centre.
Their fundraising event, held last month, took place Scanlon’s Bar and Club in Acock’s Green.
The venue and food for the event was provided by proprietor Carole Scanlon, while local BBC radio presenter, Bob Brolly volunteered his services as Master of Ceremonies for the event.
The event featured a raffle with prizes made up of generous donations from Carters of Mosely restaurant, Punks and Chancers and Norton’s Irish Bar.
Prizes also included a ferry crossing provided by Marie McCarthy from Irish Ferries and a skip from ISL Waste Management, as well as a signed Jack Grealish football shirt.
In December 2021 a similar event saw the group raise an impressive £18,000 for the charity.
Melissa Roche, Head of Fundraising, Communications and Volunteering at SIFA Fireside, commented: “It’s another amazing achievement by the group who seem to be going from strength to strength every single year.
“£22,000 will have a huge impact on the lives of homeless and vulnerably housed people in Birmingham and with the cost of living crisis affecting our clients, this couldn’t have come at a better time.“
Ms Roche added: “The Irish community is synonymous with being generous and throughout all of this support, the spirit of our founder Sister Sabina lives on through them.”
The funds received will help SIFA Fireside to keep the doors open at the Digbeth drop-in centre, where homeless and vulnerably housed people can access Prevention, Crisis and Recovery services.
These include supporting clients with housing applications, ongoing tenancy advice and improving employability prospects.
SIFA Fireside’s Drop-In Centre also ensures that essential daily needs are met by providing showers, clean clothes, food parcels and hot meals.
The fundraising group have now announced that this year’s annual fundraiser will take place on December 9 – where they hope to raise £30,000, which would mark their biggest amount yet.
To find out more about SIFA Fireside, including how you can support the organisation click here.
