Blues heading to Goodison Park for the first game of the new season are being urged to consider taking donations for Fans Supporting Foodbanks.
The important initiative will resume matchday collections outside the ground as the Premier League season returns with Everton hosting Chelsea on Saturday evening. The pioneering scheme, which has sparked similar collections at football matches across England and, recently, Scotland and Northern Ireland, plays a crucial role in supporting vulnerable people across Liverpool.
Since FSF launched through The Blue Union and Spirit of Shankly supporter groups in 2015 it has grown from collecting donated food in a wheelie bin to having an official presence at Goodison and Anfield. It now supports further programmes, including food pantries at sights from Fazakerley to Netherley.
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Such is the generosity of supporters, a significant amount of the food donated to the North Liverpool Foodbank comes from the organisation's matchday presence. And after a summer without football the necessity for donations is particularly stark. Ahead of the new season Dave Kelly, FSF chair, urged supporters to consider bringing items to donate before home games. He said: "I know lots of people look forward to the opening game of the season and Fans Supporting Foodbanks probably does so more than most. Around 30% of all food donated to the North Liverpool Foodbank is collected outside Goodison Park and Anfield. We have just gone 10-12 weeks without any matchday collections so by the start of the football season the cupboard really is bare."
Items that are appreciated include:
- Cereals
- UHT or powdered milk
- Fruit juice
- Pasta sauces
- Tinned sponge pudding
- Tinned tomatoes
- Rice pudding
- Tea bags/coffee
Collections begin three hours before kick-off and volunteers are based in the Goodison fan zone. You can also donate to the FSF online here.
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