A NEW partnership between Pieta House and Nestlé Ireland will involve a three-year commitment by the company to support the Southside charity and assist in the expansion of their Outreach services.
As part of the partnership, Nestlé will pledge over €100,000 to help Pieta House to continue to provide hope to those in need of its services.
Pieta House supports people and communities in crisis. The charity provides free counselling services and support to those who are at risk of suicide, engaging in self-harm and those bereaved by suicide.
Pieta House also provide educational programmes to raise awareness, reduce stigma and support mental health and wellbeing.
Pieta House’s Outreach service was developed to cater for the growing demand for counselling support across the country. It will improve service accessibility, catering for people who are not in a position to travel to one of the 15 centres located nationwide. In addition to Outreach, the funds will also support Pieta House’s existing services including its 24/7 Freephone Helpline service.
Elaine Austin, CEO of Pieta House Ireland, said: “We wish to express our deepest gratitude to Nestlé for partnering with us for the next three years, for their passionate support for our services and for helping us to expand our Outreach service. At its heart, Pieta is about helping people to bring a little bit of hope back into their lives, to help them to improve levels self-care, and to support people and families that have been impacted by the loss of a loved one to suicide, to provide care, compassion and to nourish hope. It is so important that we make it easy for people to ask for and to get help they need, to make the difference in their lives.”
Andrew Shaw, Country Manager, Nestlé Ireland, added: “It is important to recognise the need to give back to the community in which we operate and this is something which is very much part of the ethos of the business. Our ‘Charity of The Year’ programme, which over the years has raised almost €680,000 for charities across the country, allows employees to select a cause or charity to get behind and raise funds for through a number of initiatives and fun activities.
This year our colleagues have shown a great deal of passion in their desire to support Pieta House and the crucial services it provides to both individuals in crisis and their families. I speak for everyone at Nestlé when I say we’re excited to work with Pieta House to help them spread hope and support their vital work in de-stigmatising mental illness and improving quality of life for countless people in Ireland.”
Pieta House operates a network of 15 centres across the country and three Outreach services, employing over 220 therapists and clinical staff.
In 2018, Pieta House supported over 8,000 clients who were either at the risk of suicide, engaging in self-harm or bereaved by suicide and handled over 16,000 calls through its 24/7 crisis helpline. Pieta House focuses on providing a non-institutional, community-based service delivering therapeutic support within a non-threatening, caring and compassionate environment.