Cork's Kindness Krew: 'Nobody should be living like this in 2023'

Michael had been in and out of prison and had been using drugs for many years. “I felt as if the world had forgotten about me, like I didn’t deserve happiness," he explains.

Mikey credits the day he met the Kindness Krew as one that transformed his life.

“They came up to me and offered me some food," he says, "but then they started talking to me, like I mattered.” 

Since then, and with the help of the group he calls the street angels, Mikey is now drug-free and now helps the women with their twice-weekly setup. “They gave me the kind of support and kindness that I didn’t know existed,” he says. “They treated me like a human.” 

The Kindness Krew is a remarkable team of women who, for the past two years, have made a significant impact on the lives of the unhoused community in Cork. Every Wednesday and Sunday, outside the Savoy Patrick Street, the six women; Claire, Jade, Jess, Sandra, Roslyn and Analu come together to provide hot meals and essential supplies like tents, sleeping bags, clothing and most importantly, a sense of community to those facing homelessness or those living in poverty.

Claire Mulhall from Mahon works as a cleaner at The Voodoo Rooms. She says she wanted to get involved because “how could you not?” She says some of the stories behind the people who come to them for their hot lunch would break your heart. 

“These are people who just had a tough break in life. There’s a different story behind each person and at the end of the day, it could be any of us. There’s just not enough help for those with mental health or addictions.” 

The Kindness Krew have no government funding. They rely on donations, local businesses and alternate cooking the hot meals themselves. Happily their work has been recognised at the 2023 Volunteer Ireland Awards, sponsored by Regeneron, a biotech company, with support from the Department of Rural and Community Development and award partner Healthy Ireland.

“We are delighted with the award of course. But nobody should be living like this in 2023,” points out Jade Millar (37) who lives in The Lough in Cork City, one of the women who makes up the Kindness Krew.

“These are people like you and I, living in doorways, in tents, wet and cold, they are at their wits' end. The government should open up a building or somewhere they can go for the day to get warm, charge a phone, have a cup of tea. Even those who have shelter at night roam the streets between 7am and 11pm because they have nowhere to go. A lot of them go to the library, or to mass, just to have somewhere to sit and get out of the cold.” 

Jade says the little things they manage to do are huge things for those in need. “A hot meal means everything to them, or a chat, a joke. We are so grateful to those who donate so we can give people a bit of comfort. Many want a better life but they are struggling. I do the laundry for some I’ve gotten to know over the years, or I dry their wet sleeping bags. It’s hard to leave and go home to your own warm bed," she admits. "It takes me ages to get asleep thinking of some of the people that come to us out there on the streets at night.” 

Jess Tobin works part-time for O'Callaghan’s cleaners. She says the Kindness Krew runs seven days a week. “We are in town on Wednesdays and Sundays, but all week we are collecting, setting up, picking up donations, organising clothes and other items. I just love being involved in helping others. We set up our tables outside the Savoy and offer tea and dinners, but often, it’s more about the interactions. A lot of people are lonely. They come along for a bit of company or to have someone listen to them without judgement. Everyone’s story is different, but some can really affect you," she says.

"Last Easter, for example, we got lots of Easter treats donated, like eggs from local businesses and families. We had two musicians come along and play the spoons and the ukulele, and there was this young lad and he was just crying hysterically because he said other than for us, it would have been the loneliest day for him. We’d made it special. 

We have another woman who is fleeing domestic abuse with her three kids and we organised to get them matching PJs for the Late Late Toy Show, and if you saw their faces, it was something else. They were just so grateful. It’s the little things that brings so much happiness to those who don’t have it. A packet of cheese, a smile, a biscuit with their tea...” 

Jess says she’d like to invite the country’s leaders to come and see what’s involved. “Come and volunteer at a soup run, set up the tables with us, see how much this is needed, see the heart-breaking scenes that we see all the time," she challenges. "It feels sometimes as if those in charge of our country close their eyes to all of this.” 

Analu Maioll who lives in Cork but who is originally from Brazil, agrees. Also part of the Kindness Krew, she says it’s the mental health aspect that concerns her most. “These are genuinely nice people who are having a tough time. There’s a dire need for structured psychological help. I’m trying to help someone at the moment with addiction problems, but when they come out of the programme, they are straight back to sleeping on the streets. And if you live on the streets, you don’t feel like a human. You are wet with rain, cold, and lonely. Of course they are likely to go straight back to using just to escape how awful that life can be.” 

Roslyn Barrett is a special needs assistant from Togher in Cork who has been working with the team for two years. “We are feeding about 120 people a night,” the mother-of-two explains. “Last Sunday night, for example, people had a choice of meat stew, pasta and mince or corn beef with vegetables.” Roslyn says there’s a need for soup runs every night of the week. 

“People are hungry, for food but also for connection. You want to take everyone home with you, but you obviously can’t. That’s the saddest part. Our work is just a drop in the ocean. If I won the lotto, I’d open a community centre so people aren’t hanging around the streets all day. 

We never judge anyone. You never know what’s going on behind closed doors.” 

• See the Kindness Krew Facebook Page for more information. 
• They can arrange collection, or you can drop any donations off at the Savoy on Patrick Street at 7.30pm on Wednesdays and Sundays at 7pm.
• At the moment there is a huge need for tents, sleeping bags, socks, underwear, vouchers, gas for cookers, chafer fuel, and food containers with lids.