Every year people celebrate St.Patrick’s Day. They do this on March 17th! Why do people take the time to celebrate on this day? Well, that’s because they are honoring Saint Patrick. He is the patron saint of Ireland. However, he isn’t the most modern person. He was born thousands of years ago in Britain. When he was a teenager, he became a slave after he was kidnapped. He was taken from Britain and brought to Ireland. Thankfully, he was able to escape! After his escape, he made the decision to come back to Ireland. That’s because he wanted to convert Irish citizens into Christians. His goal was to spread the word of his beliefs. He even took the time to open:
- Schools
- Churches
- Monasteries
He died on March 17th (hence the date of celebration!). Even though he has been gone a long time, his spirit lives on. Besides celebrations every year, a lot of people are inspired by his message. That is why they take the time to provide assistance to those in need.
Available Support for St.Patrick’s Day
At the federal level, there are no support options related to St.Patrick. However, local organizations that believe in St.Patrick’s message may have some opportunities. This includes community centers, churches, etc. So if you are in need of some support on St.Patrick’s Day, these local places may be the right place to turn to! Some examples of these places include the following:
St.Patrick Center
Remember, we are talking about local agencies! That means you will want to check out what’s around you if the options on this list aren’t. For example, the St.Patrick Center helps people in and around St. Louis, Missouri. They aim to help people with different needs like:
- Housing
- Employment
- Health
Housing Support
Through this organization’s Housing First initiative, they aim to help people deal with homelessness. In order to do this, they partner with people, providers of services, businesses, and more. This initiative includes a session with an intake specialist. Known as a discovery session, it aims to figure out the best approach for someone’s specific needs.
Employment Support
There are countless job opportunities available for people to take advantage of. However, a lot of people don’t have the best skills when it comes to handling employment. That is why this agency aims to provide employment support. They have a 3 day opportunity known as the Job Readiness Training program. This helps people handle aspects of finding a job like having a resume, making a cover letter, dealing with the interview process, etc. Besides general job support, they also provide specialized teachings of certain employment skills. They have different opportunities so people have lots of options to choose from! Some of the skills they focus on teaching include:
- Occupational Therapy
- Barista Training
- Fork-Lift Certification
- BEST Training (janitorial)
- Finances
- Keyboard Training
- ServeSafe
Health Support
Health issues are a big stress for a lot of people. On top of that, they can be expensive to deal with. Two common issues that people face across the country include substance abuse and mental illness. That is why this organization really makes use of certain partnerships they have. In this case, when they partner with healthcare providers, they are able to help those in need when it comes to their health problems specifically. This can be done through support like:
- On-site nursing visits
- Healthcare referrals
St.Patrick Catholic Church
Another organization inspired by St.Patrick is the St.Patrick Catholic Church. Specifically, the one we are talking about is located in Mount Dora, Florida. They aim to help people through different means just like the other organization on this list. Some resources they provide for those in the community include unemployment support, food assistance, and information. They even have housing assistance, business support, health services, and more! Basically, through providing support on a variety of different needs, they aim to help as many people as they can.
Other Ways to Save on St.Patrick’s Day
While one way to benefit on St.Patrick’s day is through local support opportunities, that’s not the only way. Stores also take this time to provide deals on this holiday. That shouldn’t come as a surprise because America is known for holiday deals throughout the year! Some retailers that are providing sales related to this holiday include:
Other Assistance Opportunities
Even though there are ways to save through local organizations and retailers, it still may not be enough for you. In fact, you may find that you need even more support. Thankfully, there are general assistance opportunities at the federal level that can help with different needs. There are plenty of different options, but two in particular are:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Groceries can be really hard to keep up with each month. This is especially true for families that have rough financial situations. That is why the government provides food assistance options. SNAP is one particular opportunity that aims to help households each month. It can do this by providing funds onto an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. When a recipient receives these funds on the card, they can use the card like a debit card. However, the card can only be used under certain conditions. This means at an authorized retailer and on eligible items. Some items that people are not allowed to get with these funds include alcoholic beverages, non-food items, etc.
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Healthcare is also a big expense that people deal with. It can be especially hard when parents have to figure out not only health coverage for themselves, but for their children as well. All of this can be made even harder if parents make too much to qualify for traditional government health insurance programs like Medicaid. Yet, they still don’t make enough to comfortably handle the cost of private health insurance. This is where CHIP comes into the picture. They are able to provide health coverage to certain children. This includes any up until they turn 19 years old.
Overall
St.Patrick’s Day is a time to celebrate the legacy of Saint Patrick. Even though he was around thousands of years ago, his legacy lives on. While it’s often a time seen to drink, eat, and party, some local organizations may actually be able to provide support. That’s because they are inspired by St. Patrick’s message. Besides local opportunities, some retailers may even have savings opportunities for the holiday. Lastly, you may review local support and retailers but realize that you need even more support. If that is the case then you will want to check out federal assistance options. There are a variety of needs that these federal programs focus on but two we highlighted in particular are SNAP and CHIP. Overall, there is a lot going on in the world, you just need to know how to take advantage!
