Message from our General Manager

As 2025 draws to a close I would like to thank you, our supporters, for your donations to The Little Flower.

 

With your help we achieved a great deal during 2025. We continue to deliver meals on wheels for 365 days a year and to serve more meals than ever, Monday to Friday in our dining room here in Meath Street.

 

Our doors are open to everyone with no questions asked. People that come in are often vulnerable and isolated. We provide not only a warm meal but also a warm welcome. Our food is home made by our Head Cook Brenda every day. She takes great pride in making it and insists on taking control of serving it to people. She does so with a beaming smile and the certainty it will be enjoyed.

 

Our dining room is large and light, with high ceilings and huge glass windows in the roof. When it fills up at lunchtime it comes alive. Full of chat, banter and laughter between the people eating and the staff and volunteers. It does us all good to see it.

 

When it is time to go, nothing makes Brenda happier than when people wave at her behind the serving area and with a huge smile say thank you, that was delicious!

 

In an ideal world places like The Little Flower would not be needed. But it is not an ideal world and we are needed. So, once again thank you for your support and enabling us to keep operating and helping those who need it most.

 

As the festive season approaches, I wish you and yours health, happiness and joy.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Ruth Harkness

General Manager

Mob: 085 192 7643

Email: [email protected]

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Little Flower Christmas Cards

The Christmas season is fast approaching, and soon our kitchen will be busy preparing festive meals for those who need them most. While Christmas is a time of joy for many, it can also be a lonely and difficult season for others. At the Little Flower Penny Dinners, we are dedicated to ensuring that no one in our community is forgotten.

Each year, we serve Christmas dinners and deliver gift bags filled with treats and essentials - small gestures that bring warmth, comfort and a sense of belonging to those facing hardship. Your support makes this possible. By donating, you help us share the true spirit of Christmas with those who need it most.

As a token of our appreciation, donations of €50 or more will be offered a set of 10 beautiful Christmas cards. You can take part in our Christmas Card Appeal by donating online or calling us at 01 453 6621. If you would like to receive the cards, simply write “I would like to receive a pack of Christmas cards” in the comment box online or mention it over the phone when making a donation.

Together, we can make this Christmas a little brighter for everyone.

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From Vermont to Dublin 8 

Meet Coda, one of our volunteers here in the Little Flower. Coda is spending a year in Dublin through an exchange programme with Champlain College in Vermont and wanted to get involved in the community and get to know the locals, so he decided to give some time to our charity. Back home, he’s already an active volunteer, regularly helping out at local food banks so when he arrived in Dublin, he wanted to continue making a difference in his new community and the Little Flower seemed like a natural choice. He now helps out with our Meals-on-Wheels service, delivering freshly prepared meals to those who need them most. We are so grateful to have him as part of our team, thank you Coda

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Congratulations Dennis & Margaret

We are delighted to share that Margaret and Dennis were among the winners at the Donore Credit Union Community Awards 2025, which took place in St. Catherine’s Church on Thomas Street on the 16th October.

This recognition is a wonderful acknowledgment of the time, care and energy they dedicate to the Little Flower Penny Dinners. Through their work with the Meals-on-Wheels service, they not only deliver meals to people across the community but also bring companionship and kindness to those they visit. Their commitment makes a real difference to so many lives and we could not be prouder to have them as part of our team. Congratulations again, Margaret and Dennis, and thank you for all that you do for the Little Flower and the wider community!

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In Memory of a Special Lady

We would like to take a moment to remember a lovely lady who used to visit us from time to time and who sadly passed away recently. She was known to us for her kindness and generosity - always collecting coins to donate to the Little Flower.

We always enjoyed hearing her stories about her children and grandchildren, but it was her memories of growing up on the Northside with her brothers and sisters that touched us most. Her parents, both born and raised in the Liberties around Meath Street, often spoke about the Little Flower Penny Dinners or as they called it, “The Penny Dinners.”

As a young girl, she was fascinated by their stories. The Liberties sounded like a world away and she could hardly believe there was once a place where you could get a meal for a penny. When she grew up, she decided to see for herself and to her amazement, the Little Flower was still here. That day, she made her first donation, beginning a tradition she continued for decades.

Each time she visited, she would pause outside our building, looking across at the church (pictured). She told us she imagined her parents as children running up the steps to Mass. Before leaving, she would always go inside to light a candle for them and for other loved ones who had passed. She wished to remain anonymous, but we know who she was, and she will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Rest in Peace.

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National Food Bank Day 2025

On Friday, 5th September, we marked the third annual Little Flower Penny Dinners National Food Bank Day. This year we saw more organisations, businesses and community groups joining together in support of our cause.

We are truly grateful to everyone who took part and to those who have continued to support the initiative year after year. Over the past few months, we have received donations on a regular basis from this fundraiser. The food and funds collected will go directly toward our work - helping us prepare hundreds of warm, nutritious meals each week, creating food parcels for those in need and sharing supplies with partner food banks so we can reach even more people across the community.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made National Food Bank Day 2025 such a success, your continued support makes all the difference.

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Happy Christmas

We would like to thank everyone for their continuous support, it is because of you that we are able to continue providing warm meals to the people who need them the most in our community. The staff, volunteers and Board would like to wish you a Happy Christmas and New Year. Thank You!

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