Fans Supporting Foodbanks (FSF) initiative calls all Charlton supporters to donate to Foodbanks this Christmas

A Charlton fan is calling on supporters to donate to food banks this Christmas.

Supporters will be able to donate food at Charlton’s home game against Gillingham on December 22 as part of the Fans Supporting Foodbanks (FSF) initiative.

Samuel Spong, a lifelong Charlton supporter, created Fans Supporting Foodbanks (FSF) after being inspired by a similar initiative in Liverpool.

He said: “We want to use the collective power of thousands of people coming into the same space from the community to really drive up food donations in the area.

“It’s a particularly stressful time for people running food banks and people using them. The collective power of thousands of fans can really help that just from a small donation.”

The items collected will be given to Greenwich food bank which operates eight outlets in the borough.

Last year, Greenwich food bank fed 7,505 people and this year numbers could be as much as 20 per cent higher, it says.

First team players Joe Aribo, Anfernee Dijksteel, Tariqe Fosu, Karlan Grant and Jed Steer were shown around Greenwich Food bank last week and helped with unpacking donations, dating items and then sorting together packs for distribution.

Goalkeeper Steer said: “Obviously Christmas is just around the corner. “It is a time for giving and being generous and hopefully. “Hopefully as a club we can all get together and give what we can.

“Coming down here has been great to see the hard work that does go on. “The next time I’m down the supermarket I will definitely be buying a bit extra, a few more tins to donate.”

Alan Robinson of Greenwich food bank said: “We are seeing a greater need.

One of the exciting thing about having the players from Charlton here is that it is going to help us communicate this need out to the community and hopefully to the fans within the community that it is a good thing to come to the match and donate something while they are there.

“Everyday I wake up thinking ‘Will we have enough?’”