Praise for Dungannon charity after ‘saving’ Christmas

WORKERS at a mental health charity based in Tyrone have been branded ‘angels’ by a grateful service user who said that if it wasn’t for them, their children would have went toyless this Christmas.

Founded by Glena McDowell, ‘Me You and Them’ provides families in the Dungannon and South Tyrone area with services to help ‘lift them out of poverty’ and alleviate financial pressures.

This Christmas, the charity made it their mission to ensure each child in their area woke up with a gift from Santa.

One local family got in touch to thank Glena and her team for ‘saving Christmas’.

Speaking to the Tyrone Herald after receiving the message of gratitude, Glena said, “We did a final shout-out a few days before Christmas to see if any Dungannon families needed help with toys and we got two emergency cases on Christmas Eve.

“I immediately made contact with them and we did what we could to help. Then a few days ago we received a text message thanking us for the help. This just made our day to know we saved Christmas.”

The message read, “I cannot express enough what you have done for my family. Only for you and your team my children wouldn’t be getting anything this Christmas.

“This year has dealt us blow after blow and my mental health is at rock bottom – I never thought we would be in this position.

“You came to my home on Christmas Eve with toys, food and vouchers and you saved Christmas.

“You lot are the best earth angels in Dungannon,” the message concluded.

Glena added, “To get feedback like this just shows we are getting to the people that need a helping hand. It’s heart-breaking to see families struggle, especially through Christmas – the financial pressures are huge.”

The charity, which works in unison with ‘For You’, a social enterprise to provide families in Dungannon and surround area with affordable household items, delivers over 300 meals every week in Tyrone with the support of donations.

“Thank you to all our donors and volunteers and we are so proud of the work we do and can’t thank our supporters enough for investing in our community,” Glena concluded.

If you wish to donate and help the charity continue to do vital work, visit their website now: meyouandthem.com.