On Saturday, October 23, 2021, ahead of our home match against St Johnstone, Celtic FC Foundation and partner Glasgow North East Foodbank will host a food collection where we will be humbly accepting donations of food and essentials.
This will be the first physical food collection that has taken place at Celtic Park for over two years. In that time, the most vulnerable in our communities have faced extreme hardship and repeated uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this will likely continue for the foreseeable future due to rising costs, including fuel, and the end of a number of key support schemes.
Celtic FC Foundation’s primary focus has, and will continue to be, providing assistance to those most affected by the crisis, via the Football for Good Fund (FFGF).
To date, the FFGF has helped thousands of the most vulnerable, through the provision of food and essentials, assistance to tackle fuel poverty and support to combat loneliness and isolation and promote positive mental health and wellbeing.
We would therefore like to invite all supporters who are attending the match against St Johnstone to bring along a donation if they can. Even one item from the list can make a huge difference to someone’s life.
The most urgent items listed in order of priority are:
- UHT milk
- Juice
- Tinned meat (ham etc)
- Tuna
- Rice/custard
- Tinned fruit
- Tinned vegetables
There will be two drop-off stations on the day of the collection: The Clover on Celtic Way (main collection) and the North East entrance at the fence next to the Lisbon Lions’ car park.
In addition, there will also be a small number of Foundation volunteers on hand with buckets, should supporters wish to donate cash in support of the food drive.
Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive, Tony Hamilton said: “This is needed more than ever, and we are very grateful to everyone who might be in a position to help us. Thank you in advance, if you can assist at the match.
“Our partnership with Glasgow North East Foodbank and many other Foodbanks will benefit from this, and it’ll come at a time when many of them are urgently needing stock for their clients.”
Linda Stuart, Glasgow NE Foodbank co-ordinator, said: “The collections at Celtic Park are vital to the Foodbank. They allow us to replenish our stock and provide us with a number of key items and essentials that we occasionally run out of.
“Without the collections, we would struggle to help as many families in need. The Celtic fans have always been so generous and helpful and we continue to be humbled by their incredible support.”
For those who cannot attend the match but would still like to make a contribution, they can do so by donating the equivalent of a bag of groceries virtually.
Supporters can donate whatever they can afford eg £10, £20, £30, etc HEREwith funds raised covering the cost of food and essentials, which along with what is collected on the day, will be provided to those most in need of our support, via Glasgow North East Foodbank and our other FFGF charity partners.
To support our food drive, simply make your donation either in person or virtually ahead of the 3pm kick-off and, with your help, we can continue to use football for good to make a positive difference.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
