Thousands of families in Co Kildare will have turkey and ham this Christmas courtesy of Brendan O'Carroll

Almost 3,000 families will be sitting down to Christmas dinner in Co Kildare, Dublin and Wicklow, courtesy of Brendan O'Carroll.

The Mrs Brown's Boys creator has donated turkey and ham vouchers to the Society of St Vincent de Paul to distribute among the needy in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow.

East region president Liam Casey thanked the comedians, adding many families who might have missed out on the holiday feast will not be disappointed.

He said: "We have seen an increase in requests for food this year and these vouchers will make a huge difference to many families.

"The vouchers, signed by Brendan, Jenny and all the Brown and O'Carroll families, also make the vouchers themselves special."

Calls for support to the SVP in the area have hit record levels, despite improvements in some areas of the economy.

The region will deal with more than 65,000 calls for help before the year is over. Mr Casey added: "The Irish public have been extremely generous to the SVP in the past through their financial donations and we are dependent on them to continue their support into the future."

Brendan has worked with the charity for many years and was named National Philanthropist Of The Year by the Community Foundation of Ireland in January 2015 for his continued donations.

Speaking about the SVP's work, the 61-year-old explained they had provided much-needed support to his widowed mother in the 1960s as she raised 11 children.

Insisting his family could not have survived without the charity, he described his career as "trivial" in comparison to the work it carries out.

His latest donation came as the comedian joined Rosanna Davison, Chris De Burgh, Brian McFadden, Rory Cowan and Stephen Hunt at Crumlin Children's Hospital.

The stars were at the Dublin institution for the 12th annual Celebrity Ward Walk with Brendan and co-star wife Jenny Gibney flying in from the US to help spread some festive cheer.