Tonight, as we tuck our children in, there will be a child going to bed with an empty belly.
In fact, Barnardos have said one in nine children go asleep hungry because of poverty.
As the children's charity takes to the streets nationwide for its annual fundraiser, they're asking us to remember those hungry kids.
It's hard to imagine that our children could go without the basics they need and deserve as the colder weather comes in, but CEO Fergus Finlay says this a reality many are facing.
#SupportBarnardos It's our National Collection Day! Look out for our wonderful team of volunteers braving the weather and shaking a bucket for children & families across Ireland.
— Barnardos Ireland (@Barnardos_IRL) 14 September 2018
Please give what you can today; https://t.co/F0JcgGeU2c #LegacyofGood pic.twitter.com/pLWRitZanD
"A child in consistent poverty typically won't have enough nutrition in his or her diet, they won't have warm clothes in the winter, they won't have good shoes when the rain is pouring down out of the heavens and they won't have treats in their lives," the Barnardos CEO said.
Heartbreakingly, he added, "they live from day-to-day without a huge amount of expectation."
Mr Finlay concluded by saying that any child living in poverty has a childhood on the margins, and are excluded from many basic things. This means they go without the things that "every little boy and girl deserves."
"We know that tonight, one in nine children will go to bed hungry because they are living in poverty, this quite simply isn’t good enough," he said.
It's the national collection day for @Barnardos_IRL so if you can donate to the collectors, please do so, or donate at https://t.co/5LHJNtQKlZ #SupportBarnardos pic.twitter.com/6DaFuJuOSJ
— Woman's Way (@Womans_Way) 14 September 2018
If you want to help a child in poverty, Barnardos collectors will be out in your local area today.
You can also donate online at www.barnardos.ie or by texting ‘BARNARDOS’ to 50300.
