Ten years since collecting their first food donation in a wheelie bin outside Goodison Park, Fans Supporting Foodbanks has been established as a registered charity.

The organisation was founded on 17th October 2015 by Everton supporters Dave Kelly and Robbie Daniels along with Liverpool fan, and now West Derby MP, Ian Byrne. Paul Khan, also a Liverpool fan, joined the original small management team in 2020. 

Ten years later, a board of trustees has been established, and Fans Supporting Foodbanks continues its mission to bring together football supporters to beat food poverty.

Credit: Fans Supporting Foodbanks
Newly elected Chair, Dave Kelly said:

“When Robbie, Ian and I first stood outside the Winslow pub opposite Goodison Park with a wheelie bin to collect food, we never thought that ten years later we’d still be doing what we do. 

“Although we are now a registered charity, with a board of trustees and on a formal footing, we remain a grassroots organisation embedded in our football fan communities, trying to do our bit to help our neighbours. 

“You never know who might need our help but while they do, we will be there.”

Fans Supporting Foodbanks continues to collect food and other household goods at home matches of Liverpool and Everton football clubs. 

Those collections form the basis of supplies for food pantries across the city at eight locations. Local people sign up, pay a small weekly fee and are provided with a supply of food and other essentials. 

It is estimated the pantries feed up to 2,500 people per week.

The pantries are run by volunteers and provide a welcoming, non-judgemental, community. They are not only places to gain access to food, but also to provide warmth and friendship. 

Credit: Fans Supporting Foodbanks
Ian Byrne said:

“When we set up FSF in 2015, it was both a practical sticking plaster to address the hunger we saw in our communities, and a recognition of the need for a political solution. 

“The catastrophe of hunger and poverty in our communities is the direct result of political choices made by successive governments. If a government cannot ensure that everyone has enough not to eat but to thrive, then it is a government that is fundamentally failing.”

Robbie Daniels said:

“I recently met someone at one of the pantries and while enjoying a chat, they told me I was the first person they’d had a proper conversation with since the previous week. 

“While I was devastated to hear that someone in our community was living such an isolated life, I was pleased they had somewhere to come, get access to food and enjoy a chat. We like to create a friendly atmosphere where everyone is welcome, and everyone is equal.”

While Fans Supporting Foodbanks now has a formal footing with a board of trustees to oversee its strategic direction and governance, its vision remains the same.

Ian Byrne said: “The spectre of hunger, and the urgent need for a Right to Food, is very real here in Liverpool, where far too many people continue to experience it.

Credit: Fans Supporting Foodbanks

“It is clear the time for sticking plasters is over. We must legislate for a Right to Food and enforce food rights, ensuring that all governments are held accountable for the cost of food and for making sure no one goes hungry.”

Dave Kelly added: “Our mission statement has always been ‘Close us down’. We live in the sixth richest economy in the world, and we shouldn’t have people reliant on foodbanks.

“But, while we still do, we will be here to help people who need us most.”

The organisation has shared its ethos among football fans across all leagues and there are now similar foodbank collections at matches across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Collections this weekend will take place at Anfield where Liverpool take on Manchester United and at the Etihad Stadium before Everton play Manchester City, uniting sets of football fans with huge traditional rivalries

Find out more about Fans Supporting Foodbanks here.
Find out the latest in Liverpool here.

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