Welcome to our Summer Newsletter!

I would like to thank you all for your support, we could not do what we do without you. It is as simple as that. We rely almost entirely on donations to keep operating and it is your generosity and kindness that makes it all possible.

There is an unusual phenomenon here at The Little Flower, we call it ‘The Power of The Flower’. It is difficult to explain yet it does exist. It is a like a positive flow of energy and goodness. It affects us all, the people that come in and the staff and volunteers.

Sometimes we see it in very simple things like when we set someone down a cup of tea and we say we have saved you one of your favourite biscuits; we see their eyes light up and they grin from ear to ear. They are happy and that makes us happy. When there is a room full of that joy and happiness that is ‘The Power of the Flower’ in action. It is wonderful.

So, thank you again for your support and helping to keep ‘The Power of the Flower’ working its magic.

Yours sincerely,

Ruth Harkness

General Manager

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Free Meals Served Every Weekday

In recent months, the demand for our services has continued to grow, with more people than ever relying on the Little Flower for warm meals and support. Despite the increase, our team remains committed to ensuring that everyone who comes through our doors is welcomed and cared for.

If you or someone you know is unsure where the next meal is coming from, please know you are welcome to our dining space at 11 Meath Street, Dublin 8. We do not solely serve warm meals but we provide a safe space for people to socialise and feel welcomed.

We are here to help - with no questions asked. For more information, feel free to call us on 01 453 6621.

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Guinness Dublin 8 Community Fund

We are absolutely over the moon to be one of the 2026 recipients of the Guinness Dublin 8 Community Fund. The Little Flower Penny Dinners received an incredible amount of €75,000 which will help us serve more meals, improve the building and look after more people in our community. With the increase in people visiting our charity, this could not have come at a better time.

The awards were presented by Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD on the 28th April, 2026 in the Guinness Storehouse. Pictured above is our General Manager, Ruth Harkness, with some of the other recipients of the Community Fund.

The Board, Staff and Volunteers would like to truly thank Guinness and Diageo Ireland for their support. We rely almost entirely on donations to keep our doors open, this support is a huge benefit to us and the people we serve. Thank You!

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National Food Bank Day 2026

Believe it or not, it’s nearly that time of the year again. We would like to invite local businesses, schools, community groups and corporations to take part in the Little Flower Penny Dinners National Food Bank Day 2026. We know that workplace fundraising and collections often require planning, so we are reaching out early this year to invite you to take part.

The aim of the fundraising initiative is to collect non-perishable food items such as tinned foods, tea bags, biscuits and more, while also raising funds to support our operational costs. These donations help us prepare warm meals served in our dining room each weekday and support our Meals-on-Wheels service, which delivers meals 365 days a year to people in the community.

Every bit helps, and any food that we are not able to use for preparing meals will either be donated to the people we serve or to local food banks, ensuring that no food that is donated to our charity goes to waste.

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National Volunteering Week 2026

National Volunteering Week took place from the 18th to the 24th of May 2026, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our incredible volunteers.

From helping in the kitchen and dining room to delivering meals throughout the community, our volunteers play a vital role in the day-to-day running of the Little Flower. Their dedication and generosity make such a difference to the people we serve every day.

Even a few hours of volunteering per week can have a significant impact on our charity, every helping hand makes a difference. Our greatest strength is really our team and together as a community of volunteers, we take care of the ones that need it the most in our community.

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A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned

As the old saying goes, "Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves”. Here at the Little Flower, we receive many generous donations in coins on a weekly basis, and every single contribution is appreciated and makes a difference. Over the last while, our coin counter had stopped working properly, often leaving us manually counting donations by hand which can be quite tedious work.

Thankfully, Ciara Donnelly from the children’s hospice charity LauraLynn kindly donated one of their coin counting machines to us, which they referred to as ‘Him’. We are delighted with the help from another charity and know that ‘he’ will make a huge difference to the team.

If you have any spare coins at home sitting in a glass jar or a tin can, and if you would like to support the Little Flower, please feel free to drop them in to us. Every donation, no matter the size, helps support our work. We would also like to mention and thank our regular coin donors, including Joan & Marie from the Penny Pickers and Willie Humphries, for their continued support.

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Help More People Find Us Online

We would like to ask you to please leave a short review on our Google page if you have a chance, not only would this help us be more visible on Google but it will also help people to find out more about the Little Flower Penny Dinners and the services available. If you would like to like a short review - you can do so by searching for the Little Flower Penny Dinners on the Google search engine and click on “Add a Review” button on the righthand side or alternatively by clicking the button below.

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More Than Serving a Warm Meal

At the Little Flower, we are about more than simply serving a warm meal. We aim to provide a safe and welcoming space where people can sit, socialise and feel part of the community. For many people, the noon meal service is the highlight of their day and for many, one of the few times when they get to socialise and speak to others during the day – especially for the elderly people that we serve.

Recently, Hazel very kindly offered free men’s haircuts to some of the people we support. A fresh haircut can make a real difference, not only helping someone look well, but also boosting confidence and helping people feel cared for and respected. These small acts of kindness are an important part of the support we try to provide every day. It is about looking after people beyond just serving a warm meal. 

If you would like to make a small donation to help us to serve more people in the community, it would be greatly appreciated. Wishing you a lovely summer and if you are ever walking down Meath Street, feel free to call in to say hello.