A football fanatic has turned his love for the sport into a National Lottery funded charity organisation for food banks.
Football For Foodbanks has just received £10,000 in funding from the National Lottery for which the founder, Matty MacNeil, is planning to use for further expansion with more locations.
Currently the charity has locations in Sheffield, Chesterfield, Manchester and Milton Keynes and expansion will create a huge impact on food banks across the UK.
Joe Dobson, head of Regional Funding for Yorkshire & Humber at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Our funding plays a big role in helping communities to unleash their potential and it is great to see groups like the Football For Foodbanks CIC making a positive difference and continuing to support their communities to thrive.”
Food bank usage across the UK has risen significantly. The latest figures from Trussell Trust shows 2.1 million food parcels handed out in the 12 months to March 2022. In Sheffield alone, more than 60,000 food parcels were handed out.
Alison Wise at the S6 Food bank, Sheffield, works closely with Football For Foodbanks and has seen a significant difference in support for the deprived, in addition to the amount of food parcels that are being produced.
She said: “Groups such as Football For Foodbanks are critical to the lifeblood of local food banks, where people can pick up food parcels and receive the help they need.”
The donations made by the charity are hugely impactful but the awareness is equally important.
“They get our message out to people who we wouldn’t otherwise reach,” she says.
Matty Cassell, Sheffield’s Ambassador for the charity, runs the football matches over the course of the week.
The initial two games a week has now increased to six games a week with the funding from the National Lottery.
All players’ fees are now solely donations for food banks rather than paying for running costs of matches and equipment.
Cassell has not only been able to increase the amount of fixtures that take place a week but has also expanded the divisions in the matches. He has welcomed a Women’s and Gender Minorities division which now features more than 250 women and minority genders.
The charity has broadened its community and is now regularly achieving £1200 donations a month for foodbanks.
