Noel Cunningham will open the charity shop.
A new charity shop set to open in Letterkenny will help raise funds for the ‘Let’s Get Talking Donegal’, project which offers counselling to men and women over the age of 17 years.
The shop and coffee hub, which will be launched by television personality Noel Cunningham, will open this Saturday.
The main objective of the organisation and those involved is to advance mental health in the community by alleviating the emotional distress of clients suffering from a wide range of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety and offering hope for those with suicidal tendencies.
Without the benefit of care funding, ‘Let’s Get Talking Donegal’ depends on donations and fund-raising to provide this vital service to the community.
The charity shop, located at the Port Road, opposite the An Grianan Theatre, has been open for the past six weeks under the management of well-known fund-raiser, Margaret Devenney.
“All the money raised will go to the services provided. We’ve already had a good response both from the point of view of people dropping in items and from people making purchases. All of it is helping to contribute to this more than worthy cause,” said Margaret.
Apart from the charity shop and coffee hub, plans are in readiness for the creation of counselling rooms for the services being provided by ‘Let’s Get Talking Donegal’ which has been set up in conjunction with the Donegal Women’s Centre, situated adjacent to the premises.
“These rooms will provide a space for both men and women from the county to access the services in a safe and confidential manner,” indicated Mary Maguire.
Substantial work will be involved in the building and furnishing of the rooms and any donations to assist would, she added, be greatly appreciated.
“We are also looking for carpenters, painters and plumbers to volunteer their services for the premises,” Margaret pointed out.
As for the shop itself, the provision of clothes, books and bric-a-brac continue to be welcome.
The coffee hub will also help provide an additional social aspect to the premises. “There’ll be a set price for a coffee and a snack and, again, the money will go towards the services,” said Paul Maguire.
“We hope to organise a coffee morning either in May or at the start of June to further the fund-raising efforts.”
Meanwhile, well known entertainer, Noel Cunningham, will perform the official opening of the charity shop on Saturday at twelve noon.
The shop is open from Monday to Saturday (10.a.m. to 5.p.m.).
