Waterford councillor Joe Kelly shared a shocking discovery at the June Plenary Meeting in Dungarvan as he recalled a heartbreaking encounter in Waterford city.
The Waterford News & Star reports that Cllr Kelly and his wife witnessed a small child inside a clothes bank, working alongside their parents to obtain clothing.
"The child was handing clothes out through this big steel box, effectively, to the parents," he said at the June meeting.
Cllr Kelly noted that he was "taken aback" and had to double check in case his eyes were deceiving him.
He probed those in attendance for answers, asking how this could have occurred in the first place.
He added: "I'm just wondering how the child got into the thing, I don't know, but do we, as a Council, have any control or input to that?
Cllr Kelly then queried the possibility of the council writing to the operators of these clothes banks to ask if this is a regular occurrence.
Ivan Grimes, Director of Services for Housing, Community & Emergency Services for Waterford City and County Council, shared the Councillor's dismay.
"The notion of putting a child into the bank is a whole new level of behaviour", he said.
It was agreed to reach out to the clothes bank operator concerned.
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