Dublin Samaritans has announced a new recruitment drive for volunteers so it can keep up with the growing demand for its services.
The charity was set up in Dublin in 1970 and had 1,000 contacts in its first 12 months. Last year, that number was 90,000.
The Dublin branch has marked its 55th anniversary.
Vera has been volunteering there for 50 years, having started charity work in the early 1970s handing out soup.
She noticed that while people were glad of the food, it was company they wanted.
"Most of the time what they really wanted was for you to stay longer, and they wanted to chat," she told RTÉ News.
"People very often didn't talk to homeless people, so it was very often they'd want you to stay and you could end up being 20 minutes while the soup was going cold.
"So then I was thinking of what to do and I realised then there was a branch of Samaritans in Dublin.
"What we're giving is a listening service so that whoever it is and whatever it is that's bothering them, big or small, they can talk about it to somebody who will actually listen without judging."
Vera said that after five decades of listening, there are common themes that feature.
"You never know when you lift up that phone, you just don't know. And it doesn't matter if you're 50 years here or you're only a month here, you don't know who you're going to get. It could be anything," she said.
"But I suppose the in the general, overall view of the kind of calls we're getting, it would be people who are perhaps lonely - mental health issues, health issues, depression, thoughts of suicide.
"I think they would be the main issues that tend to come up."
The charity announced a new recruitments drive for volunteers, targeting anyone who can give up their time, particularly shift workers.
Volunteer Director Mary McMahon said that while volunteer training usually takes place in the evenings and on Saturdays, they are changing that.
"We're going to do daytime, midweek training, so we're looking for people who are doing shift work," she explained.
"Maybe people who are retired or people who have flexible working hours, so that they might be able to come in during the week to actually do their training with us."
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Dublin Samaritans has 300 volunteer who provide 24/7 support all year round, but Mary said extra volunteers are needed as the incoming calls continues to grow.
"Last year we answered just over 89,000 calls. The year before, it was 83,000," she said.
"The more people we have volunteering here, the more phones we can answer and the more people we can help."
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms McMahon said the service the charity provides is a vital one, but that volunteers are also privileged to be able to do it.
People tend to contact the service to talk about concerns over mental health, loneliness and isolation and family issues, she added.
Ms McMahon, who has volunteered with the service for over 20 years, said the work can be difficult at times but there is a great support system in place.
She added that no experience is needed with on-the-job training provided.
Freephone Samaritans on 116 123 (the number is free from any landline and mobile and does not show up on bills). Email: jo@samaritans.ie
