Clubs Help as Food Banks Still Struggle
Clubs continue to collect for foodbanks as many in their community experience levels of hardship not previously experienced.
Job losses have driven some families into debt and poverty for the first time, while others who were struggling before coronavirus have found providing enough food while paying bills has become almost impossible.
Veor Rugby Football Club in Camborne, Cornwall, have customarily supported the CPR FoodBank which distributes food to those in need in the Camborne, Pool & Redruth area. With the club closed and no opportunity to have food dropped off by members at the clubhouse, they received a call for help.
“We decided that this was something we should be supporting at this difficult time so the committee and players decided to use club funds to provide the food that CPR said they were short of," said club chairman Scott Lake.
"All our lads are from the local area and helping our local community is something we really want to do.”
800 Kilos Since April
Ellingham & Ringwood, having opened up their club car park every Saturday morning for supplies to be dropped off for the Ringwood Foodbank, now have food brought throughout the day by players arriving for training sessions staggered starts. They have donated 800 kilos of food since April and are encouraging members to make this support permanent.
“There’s a constant need for a variety of foodstuff and toiletries," said Mark Johnson, who drops the food at the Food Bank collection unit to be distributed between those in need in three local towns.
"We plan to continue the drop off in our car park until we can eventually move collection inside the clubhouse. I think there will be a surge in need in September or October as employment suffers and people are pushed into food poverty.”
