Buddies have just two days left to show their support for a lifeline funding campaign which could see hundreds of vulnerable young people kept fit and healthy this year.
St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation is bidding for £70,000 of lottery funding in order to launch its 2023/24 Fit and Fed initiative.
The programme will see in excess of 500 children from across Renfrewshire offered food and physical activities in every school holiday of the next year.
However, it needs the support of locals in order to become a reality.
The charity has been named a finalist in the lottery’s People’s Project scheme which gives the public the chance to vote for their favourite proposal.
If Fit and Fed wins enough votes, it will secure the £70,000 needed to implement the ambitious plan.
And the Buddies themselves, together with Fit and Fed ambassadors have been out and about drumming up support for the proposal before the closing date of noon on Friday.
Yesterday the foundation’s Kimberley Gray, Kiara Wilson and Cameron Holmes were in Morrisons to ensure shoppers were taking the time to place their vote for Fit and Fed.
Gayle Brannigan, chief executive of St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation, said locals have been throwing their weight behind the worthy cause.
She said: “From the club to the fans to the academies and SMISA, every part of the organisation has done everything possible to support us.
“We have been at supermarkets, health awareness days and out and about and we have been amazed at the amount of people who have told us they have already voted.
“Everyone’s feedback has been so good it’s really been quite overwhelming.
“This campaign has made us realise how much the community cares and how valued the work we do is within the community.”
Unlike some other initiatives which tackle holiday hunger outwith school, Fit and Fed aims to help parents address concerns around financial hardship wherever possible.
Parents and carers will be invited to attend workshops which will look at issues such as employability, household budgeting, cooking nutritious food on a shoestring and how to look after their mental health.
The People’s Project has also created a video which outlines what the Fit and Fed initiative is all about.
It is available on the St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation social media channels as well as the People’s Project website.
People can vote for St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation at https://www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk/how-to-vote
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