A new charitable initiative that sees Scots football fans bring foodbank donations to match days has hailed the generosity of supporters following its first collection.
Fans Supporting Foodbanks Scotland (FSFS) says it has been "blown away" by the abundance of food brought to Celtic Park ahead of the Hoops' friendly against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. The organisation - spun-off from an anti-poverty project in Liverpool - had urged supporters to bring food to drop off ahead of the game earlier this week and parked a distinctive FSF van outside Parkhead to catch folks' attention.
Robert Foster, a North Ayrshire Labour councillor who co-founded the movement north of the border, said he had been "absolutely blown away" by the response to the first call for donations. In all, supporters filled ten crates of donations for Riddrie Foodbank - ten times the amount the original Fans Supporting Foodbanks gathered on its first collection in Liverpool.
He told the Record: "I was really surprised - I didn't expect people to have brought so much. We've got crates and crates of donations and the supporters at Celtic Park have been really, really generous.
"We've got 10 crates and in comparison the first ever Liverpool and Everton collection did just one. They came to support us and were absolutely blown away.
"People were coming up and asking about it and I think it's because we got the word out earlier this week. Our social media posts have had 40,000 views. So as well as everyone who brought food today we have people who say they'll bring food next time, and we aim to be at every single game to collect donations."
He added: "We've got supporters from five or six clubs signed up but the aim is to get fans from all 42 SPFL clubs on board so we can collect donations at every single stadium in Scotland. We want to collect at every game because football fans are some of the most generous people around - in Liverpool they collect a ton of donations, every single time."
Earlier this week the Record reported on the founding of FSFS as an anti-poverty movement designed to bring football fans together. Supporters from five clubs are already involved: Dundee, Dundee United, Kilmarnock, Celtic and Partick Thistle.
FSFS plans to set up collection points outside matches so fans can bring donations and drop them off ahead of the game - with donations then being passed to local foodbanks.
The movement was borne out of the original Fans Supporting Foodbanks, which was created by fans from Liverpool and Everton in 2015. Historically, the rivalry between the clubs has been intense - so much so that Everton's merchandise store in the Liverpool One shopping centre is called Everton Two, making the address a win for the Blues.
However, fans from both teams came together to create a charitable movement that surpassed football rivalry. FSF is now thought to contribute more than 25% of all food donations to foodbanks across North Liverpool and one of its founders, Ian Byrne, has gone on to become a Labour MP.
For those looking to donate, FSFS wants to collect foodbank staples such as toiletries, tinned foods and staples like cereal, rice and pasta. They will share their collections on social media, such as on their Twitter handle, @FSFScotland.
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