Chapter: Buckets and Bare Pockets

Chapter: Buckets and Bare Pockets

“We’re all good to go! Having a great time at the Special Olympics fundraising day. We’re at Dunnes, Church Road — come and visit!”

That was the message sent from the footpath that morning, phone in one hand, bucket in the other. Smiles all around. Branded gear. Handwritten signs. The public saw joy and energy — and that was real. But so was the hunger behind it.

Some of the volunteers hadn’t eaten. One athlete had walked the last part of their journey because their Leap Card ran out. Another had dipped into what little they had left for the week to pay for their club t-shirt — expected to wear it, but never reimbursed.

Still, they showed up.

There was pride in the work, yes — but also pressure. A pressure to perform, to smile, to represent something bigger than themselves, no matter the cost. Because saying no to Collection Day was quietly frowned upon. And staying home meant more than missing out — it meant being forgotten.

So they came. They stood. They smiled. And they waited for people to notice.

Some did. Most didn’t.

But the buckets kept filling — not just with coins, but with everything the athletes gave that day, quietly and completely.

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