Help Us Feed Hungry Families And Individuals In South Wales
Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust is appealing to Bluebirds fans to help feed those who rely on foodbanks.
A food donation point will be set up from 12.30pm close to the Trust office (near Gate 5) before Cardiff City’s clash against Sheffield United on Saturday, December 4th, 2021.
Food collected this weekend will be delivered to the Rhondda Foodbank in Tylorstown and the Trust hopes it will mark the start of further collections for foodbanks across Cardiff and south-east Wales.
Trust board member Richard Lewis said: “We were inspired by the tremendous work of Liverpool and Everton fans under the initiative, Fans Supporting Foodbanks.
“We want to play our part in ensuring vulnerable families and individuals don’t have to choose between eating and heating. The recent removal of £20 a week top up from those who receive Universal Credit, along with the rising cost of fuel and food, has made an already difficult lives for many people even worse.”
Trust vice-chair David Craig, who has visited the Rhondda Foodbank, said: “I was so impressed by the support they give to vulnerable and needy people in what is one of Wales’ most deprived areas with high incidences of child poverty and adult poor health. We know from our past campaigns like the Keenor Statue Appeal how generous Cardiff City fans are. We are certain supporters will get behind this initiative.
“We’re grateful for the immediate support and help of Cardiff City for this initiative and the club has also agreed to provide a van and driver to deliver donated food. With Christmas just a few weeks away, we want to give a helping hand to those that have to use foodbanks.”
Theresa Thomas, External Relations Co-ordinator for the Rhondda Foodbank, explained that in 2020-21 the foodbank provided food to 3,564 clients, including 1,167 children.
“We issue two tonnes of food a month and the foodbank receives no public funding, relying on donations from churches, supermarkets, organisations and private donations.
“We kept the foodbank open throughout the pandemic and didn’t close our doors even at the height of the crisis. We are seeing a worrying change in the profile of people using the foodbank and are anticipating a hard winter and will be even more reliant on the generosity of organisations like Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust, Cardiff City FC and the club’s supporters.”
The pandemic, twinned with Tory welfare changes like the £20 a week cut to Universal Credit have meant recent months have been incredibly difficult for food banks. Food banks are doing a great job of ensuring everyone across South Wales has access to food – so if you’re going to the game on Saturday and you’re able to help with the appeal, please do so.
Here is a list of food items most urgently needed by the foodbank: UHT Milk, Tinned Fish, Tinned Meat, Mashed Potato, Chocolate, Orange Juice, Shampoo and Toothpaste. The foodbank tells us it has enough beans, soup and pasta at present. It is not allowed to give out out-of-date food to clients.