The Saints Community Foundation have chosen to work with the St Helens Community Food Provider Alliance and the St Helens Together campaign to support the donation of food at all their home matches for the rest of the season.
Both van’s Supporting Foodbanks and The St Helens Mobile Pantry will be visiting the Totally Wicked Stadium to collect donations of food from any fans that will be attending the much-anticipated local derby against Wigan Warriors on Friday 9th June. Both mobile vans will be outside the stadium from 5 pm and will be sticking around until kick-off at 8 pm. Fans are encouraged to bring food donations, however, a text donation service will also be available.
Steve Leonard Foundation Director stated “This is an excellent example of our community in collaboration for the better. This provides the opportunity for us all to contribute to our community and help out where the need is most. This collaboration is deliberately set up to help borough-wide and not just pockets of our community which appealed most. Let’s show we are not just champions on the field but off it also”
St Helens Together was the campaign formed for the collaborative community response to COVID-19, but it has come to encompass our entire approach of delivering help and support where it is most needed in our borough and in particular relating to access to food the St Helens Community Food Providers Alliance has been essential in helping providers work together to ensure that people in our community have access to affordable and nutritious food.
St Helens Together supports both food banks & food pantries. Food banks provide emergency food and compassionate, dignified support to people locked in crisis. There are 6 food banks available to residents in St Helens Borough, five of which are managed by The HOPE Centre charity in St Helens and require a voucher from a relevant local agency. Pantries operate as a member-led neighbourhood hub and are just like a shop, in that you choose the food you want from the shelves and stock available at the time. Members pay a small subscription of between £4-£5 each week they visit. More recently with the support of the national food donation network of Fans Supporting Foodbanks we have launched the new St Helens Community Mobile Pantry which is able to deliver a pantry offer in the heart of local communities across St Helens.
Fans who may not be able to bring a food donation will also be able to make a cash through our text to donate services which will go towards purchase of essential foods to support our community food providers across St Helens Borough who are members of the Community Food Providers Alliance.