Aston Villa launch initiative to provide weekly meals for vulnerable people
Villa have started an initiative which will see 500 hot meals cooked every week in the club’s kitchens for the most vulnerable members of society.
The Villa Kitchen scheme was launched in January by the Aston Villa Foundation with the aim of helping the homeless.
But it has now been expanded in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, with the club also now providing meals for the elderly, people with disabilities, shelters and families affected by the pandemic.
Meals are cooked at Villa Park before being distributed by local organisations to those who need them most.
The expansion in operations has been made possible by funds raised from last year’s Big Villa Sleep Out, together with a personal donation from chief executive Christian Purslow.
Purslow said: “I am delighted to be able to support the Villa Kitchen, particularly during a time where this vital work will be needed more than ever, helping the most vulnerable in our society.
“Aston Villa Football Club and the Aston Villa Foundation will continue to aid those who are in need during these most uncertain of times.”
Villa Foundation chief Guy Rippon added: “We’re really pleased to expand the reach of the Villa Kitchen initiative. The project was originally set up to support the homeless back in January and it has been very successful.
“The COVID-19 situation means that there are now lots of vulnerable people who aren’t eating as they should, so we are therefore expanding the reach through additional resources committed for the foreseeable future.
“We wanted to ensure that anything we did on this front was linked to a city-wide strategic plan rather than us doing things in silo.
“We are still keen to hear from neighbourhood and community organisations who are helping to feed vulnerable groups for them to become part of the network of distributors for the Villa Kitchen project.”
Any organisations looking to become a distributor for the Villa Kitchen project should contact the Foundation via email at foundation@avfc.co.uk.
Supporters can also make a contribution to the work of Villa Kitchen by donating at the Foundation's official Virgin Money Giving page https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?uniqueVmgCharityUrl=avfc
