Nuno donates £250,000 to combat food poverty in Wolverhampton
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has donated £250,000 to a new project aimed at helping reduce food poverty in the community.
The Feed Our Pack project – which has been launched today by the Wolves Foundation – will look to address issues including 'holiday hunger' and support city residents who have been affected by the pandemic.
It will initially be a three-year project thanks to £500,000 investment – with Nuno matching a £250,000 grant from the Premier League PFA Community Fund.
Nuno said: "Wolves fans and the people of Wolverhampton have been fantastic to me since I arrived here almost four years ago, and I wanted to give something back and help the people who are struggling during the pandemic.
"When you live in a city, you see and hear how people have been affected, but it is also a great city where people help and support each other and this is a really important project from Wolves Foundation.
"Together we are stronger, and I hope that our supporters will want to join in and make sure we look after those people in our community who need it most during these really difficult times."
Feed Our Pack will support selected foodbanks in the city, with the aim of increasing the volume of food being distributed to meet rising demand caused by Covid.
It will also aim to combat ‘holiday hunger’ by providing a programme of food, sport and education to youngsters during school holidays.
Other elements planned include offering the opportunity to study for food hygiene qualifications. Figures from last year show that nearly one third of youngsters in Wolverhampton are classed as living in poverty.
Wolves Foundation head Will Clowes, said: “We have already worked closely with the club and owners Fosun, who have both been fantastic in supporting the local community during what is such a challenging time.
“The pandemic has affected Wolverhampton as it has so many other parts of the country, and as Wolves’ official charity we feel it is only right to launch one of the most ambitious and potentially impactful projects that we have ever taken on.
“We are extremely appreciative of the initial grant from the PLPFA fund, and then Nuno’s generosity in matching their investment, and will also be looking for fans and people from the city to support Feed Our Pack over the coming weeks and months.”
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi hailed the campaign and said it was "fantastic" to see Nuno adding his personal support and contribution.
He added: “Moving forward, we now hope that many others will be encouraged to become involved and add their support however they can so that the Foundation are able to be there for the people in Wolverhampton who have been so badly affected over the last year.”
Fans are encouraged to get involved in the project, which will see a Food Poverty Project Manager recruited to work with staff and foodbanks to help co-ordinate food distribution, as well as getting fans involved with food donations and volunteering.
Visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/FeedOurPack to donate funds. There will also be options to buy a virtual ticket for the Liverpool game at Molineux on March 13, and to make an annual donation via direct debit.
