West Cork artists get creative for Penny Dinners

GREETING cards by West Cork artists are putting food on the table for Cork Penny Dinners.

Dubliner Jean Dunne – who moved to Sherkin after successfully completing the Visual Art Degree Course on the island – is one of the artists behind an initiative that has, so far, raised €1,000.

Jean, together with other artists, as well as friends of the Sherkin Island community, are selling 10 works of art in card form on a dedicated web page called The Wool Shop.

There are plenty of different styles to choose from – including Brigid O’Connell’s beautiful seagull images, Jean’s own unique photographic take on island life, Anne Marie McInerney’s painterly stylings of Baltimore, or Cath McCarter’s bold abstract images.

Ten of these cards, including envelopes, cost €25 – 100% of which will be donated to Cork Penny Dinners, an organisation that feeds those in need, and offers support to homeless people in the heart of Cork City.

The service operates, providing a hot nourishing meal of soup, main course, and dessert on a daily basis right throughout the year. And it is free of charger.

It also provides sandwiches, biscuits, fruit and juice as a take away evening meal, and, where necessary, donations of warm clothes and bedding, such as sleeping bags and duvets are provided to people in need.  The organisation operates on the motto: ‘We never judge, we serve.’

Jean confirmed that more artistic images and cards are being added to the website all the time. Local artists are clearly delighted to be given the opportunity to lend their support to this initiative.

According to Jean, they find it to be a simple but effective way of supporting others. Purchases can also be made via a dedicated Facebook page – search: Sherkin Artist Cards for Cork Penny Dinners.

Jean said she was inspired to start the fundraiser after seeing Cork Penny Dinners featured on RTÉ. Given the social distancing guidelines, she said: ‘I knew it would have to be something that could be managed remotely and online.

‘The cards,’ she added, ‘can be posted to pretty much anywhere in the world so we hope that they will be sent far and wide to raise much-needed funds for Cork Penny Dinners.’