Belfast Charitable Society, Northern Ireland’s oldest charity, today celebrated its 270th birthday and proved that it still remains as relevant and true to its original objective of addressing poverty and helping those in need.
As household bills soar with the cost-of-living spiralling beyond many people’s means, the Society announced that it will release £270,000 funding through a series of partner organisations, from October, to support practical solutions that directly help those suffering the most. It will also use its influence to encourage other funders to increase their support at this critical time.
David Watters, Chair of Belfast Charitable Society, explains “It is a sad indictment that the need today is just as great as it was 270 years ago when the Society was established. People are struggling to feed and clothe their children and pay essential bills; and only too soon will struggle to heat their homes. This can’t be ignored, and families and older people need help. We are stepping up to do what we can and want to encourage others to do the same.”
Joanne Kinnear, Ashton Community Trust, a recent recipient of funding from the Society commented “We were delighted to receive funding from Belfast Charitable Society – as a funder it is innovative and supportive and understands the ever-changing needs of those in poverty. It enabled us to set up a social supermarket, the Pantry, which has been life changing for those struggling financially to feed their families. Alongside that funding the Society had foresight to support our work with families in crisis pre-covid and continues to do so. This allows us to bring together over 60 organisations to create direct packages of wrap around care for those families in need. We are so thankful to the Society, who adapted and responded quickly to help us address these challenges”.
David Watters added, “The Society is proud of its long history of philanthropy and survived the passage of time because it is innovative and reacts quickly, while remaining true to its core objectives.
“We also celebrate this long life by publishing a new book, the first of its kind to chart the history of Belfast Charitable Society and the impact it had on the development of Belfast. ‘The First Great Charity of this Town’ will be launched this November”.
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