Newry students pack thousands of USPCA pet food parcels

Niamh McAleenan-McQuade and Clare Reilly have turned weekly volunteering into practical help for pets across Northern Ireland—and a place in the BBC Make a Difference final.

Edited by Scoop · 4 minute read · 13 September 2026

A large sack of donated pet food does not arrive at a food bank ready to hand over. It has to be sorted, divided and packed into useful portions—quiet work that two Newry students have repeated thousands of times.

BBC News reported on Sunday 13 September that Niamh McAleenan-McQuade and Clare Reilly, pupils at Sacred Heart Grammar School, have been shortlisted for a BBC Make a Difference Award after volunteering weekly at the USPCA centre in Newry.

Their story puts names and hands behind a service that reaches more than 50 food banks. It also shows how a regular school volunteering placement can become part of the practical system helping households keep their pets fed and at home.

What Niamh and Clare do each week

BBC News says the students help turn food donated in large bags into three-day pet-food parcels. USPCA volunteer co-ordinator Jill McBurney told the broadcaster that the parcels go to more than 50 food banks for people to collect.

The pupils have packed thousands of parcels since joining the programme. Their placement has also expanded into grooming and animal care at the Newry centre, but the food-bank work is the clearest measure of its reach.

Niamh, who competes in dog agility and hopes to work with animals, already had volunteering experience. For Clare, the USPCA placement was a first. The pair are among roughly 30 pupils who have taken part through the school over four years, according to Sacred Heart’s head of Key Stage 5, Fiona Quinn.

Why the parcel system matters

McBurney said the volunteers make an “unbelievable difference” because the support can help people keep pets in their homes. She recalled seeing households during the Covid period put animal food ahead of their own meals—a serious reminder of the choices financial pressure can create.

The USPCA’s current impact figures record 7,164 pet-food parcels distributed in 2025. The charity also says a £15 contribution can support five parcels, although the contents and individual household need can vary.

Those annual figures describe the whole USPCA service, not parcels packed only by Niamh and Clare. The BBC report supports “thousands” for the two students together; it does not give an exact personal total or divide the work between them.

The award recognises people as well as animals

The BBC Make a Difference Animal Award is not limited to a remarkable pet. The category also recognises a person or group working with animals to improve welfare.

The BBC’s Northern Ireland finalists record lists the Sacred Heart Grammar School USPCA volunteers alongside Maggie Dimsdale-Bobby of Causeway Coast Dog Rescue, therapy dog Charlie and court therapy dog Sebastian.

The overall winners are due to be announced on BBC Radio Ulster on Friday 25 September. Being shortlisted is the current result; this article does not describe the students as category winners.

A small task inside a much larger network

The most useful detail in the Newry story is its scale without spectacle. A weekly routine at one animal-welfare centre connects donated food, student time and food-bank distribution across Northern Ireland.

It is also a reminder that volunteering does not have to begin with specialist expertise. Portioning supplies accurately, keeping a regular commitment and learning how nervous animals should be handled are all practical contributions.

For the families receiving the parcels, the end product is deliberately ordinary: enough food to carry a pet through the next few days. For Niamh and Clare, repeating that ordinary job has added up to thousands of parcels—and a national shortlist place.

Sources and update record

Published 13 September 2026. The BBC’s original Newry report, the USPCA’s current impact page and the BBC Make a Difference finalists record were checked shortly before publication. The award winner had not yet been announced. The illustration is conceptual and does not depict the named pupils or a specific parcel.