St Vincent de paul eco- friendly christmas box campaign

Mia Healy and thomas nealon, transition year students from lacken cross.

Our transition year students, Thomas and Mia took on the challenge in collaboration with St Vincent De Paul, Ballina on creating eco-friendly Christmas baskets for young adults in the Ballina community from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.  

Mia SHARES HER EXPERIENCE:

​​As a teenager in Ireland, I often heard about food drives and the shoebox appeal, which were always seen as positive initiatives. As I grew older, however, I noticed a glaring issue: while younger children and adults were often the main focus of charity drives in Ireland, teenagers and older children were less represented in these efforts.
During my Transition Year in school, I decided to work at the Mary Robinson Centre, which partnered with St. Vincent de Paul, along with my friend Thomas. We recognized this gap and, with the help of the staff, we worked to create gift baskets filled with essential items for teenagers. We made sure to source products from sustainable, local businesses, such as PAX, based in Westport. This not only supported businesses in Mayo but also helped reduce carbon emissions (CO2 miles) – an increasingly important issue in light of fast fashion and overconsumption.
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With the guidance of the staff, and using our understanding of what teenagers like us would appreciate, we were able to brainstorm ideas and find products to buy from sustainable businesses or even get second-hand. Over the course of the eight weeks we spent working there, we collected and purchased items for the baskets and decorated them using reused Christmas decorations and wrapping paper. We then delivered the baskets to St. Vincent de Paul, where they would be distributed to local third-level students.

Sustainability is a core value of The Mary Robinson Centre, and all the items included align with this commitment. These meaningful gifts were distributed through the local St Vincent De Paul bringing holiday cheer to those who need it most.