Interview: Irons Supporting Foodbanks

Irons All In recently had the pleasure of chatting to Irons Supporting Foodbanks to get an insight into the excellent work they do.

You can find out more and support their work via the link at the end of the interview.

What was the inspiration for starting Irons Supporting Foodbanks? Was there a particular person, event or incident that acted as a catalyst? Or was it more out of general concern for the people who need help? 
 
We played at Anfield on the opening day of the season a few years ago, it was Pellegrini's first game. I knew some of the Spirit of Shankly members and we'd arranged a prematch drink. They told me about Fans Supporting Foodbanks and what they did in the community. They were collecting before the game and I went along to meet the founders Dave Kelly and Ian Byrne. They were collecting food donations before every game at Goodison and Anfield. Whilst I was talking, Roy Evans, a previous manager came along with a couple of carrier bags of food. This gave me the idea of setting up our own group, looking for the support of the 60,000+ fans attending the London Stadium every fortnight. The club were on board with the idea immediately. 
  
What’s the aim of Irons Supporting Foodbanks and what are the values that underpin what you do? 
 
We wish to highlight the positive side of the football fan community. East Londoners, historically and generally coming from a working class community have a reputation for looking after their own when times are hard. Also football is the only social event where over half a million fans visit their local teams to watch games every weekend and can make a positive impact to their communities. 
 
  
What does Irons Supporting Foodbanks do, in terms of activities, events and communication? 
 
With every £500 we receive in matchday or crowdfunding donations we order the next pallet of food which is worth £2,000. These are distributed by the Newham Council Food Alliance and our foodbank partners Community Food Enterprise. Newham Council offer this service as thanks to the new clothes we supply to them. We also supply our clothes to 4 other local Councils. We are also looking at delivering full pallets to some of the larger foodbanks, for example Colchester has 11 foodbanks that we will be supporting. Over the last 3 years we have supplied over £250,000 of food to local foodbanks, 60 tonnes, with the generosity of West Ham fans. 
 
We recognise the work of our paramedics as unsung heroes, and last winter were able to supply them with a large quantity of chocolates as thanks, which were made available to all paramedics across the city. 
 
The club supports our work, and recently donated a quantity of surplus club store merchandise which we are delivering to the homeless community and other groups. They also donated a large gazebo which we set up at our pre-match collection point on Stratford Walk, by the Aquatics Centre. We estimate that we have delivered over £1.25 million of new clothes in the last 3 years. 
 
  
One the really nice I’ve noticed is your links with other clubs. Which clubs do you work most closely with? Is there a national network? 
 
Yes we have a national network, generally led by the larger clubs including the Merseyside ones and Newcastle where we share examples of best practise. Each has their own set of circumstances so we operate differently but the main aim is to get food donations out to local foodbanks. On Merseyside, fans supply over 30% of all foodbank donations to north Liverpool, close to one tonne of food each game. Other PL groups are at Manchester City, Aston Villa, Southampton, Chelsea and Ipswich. Southend United are in the group, as well as a number of Scottish supporters. We're always trying to grow the network, and recently had an information stand at the FSA AGM at Wembley. 
 
  
What would you say to the idea that people don’t really need food banks and they should just look after themselves? 
 
Food poverty is always a major talking point. Recent food price rises, the high energy costs from last winter etc, families are really struggling and the generous good nature of the east end community helps a great deal. 
 
  
What’s next for the group? What are your plans? 
 
We receive a new approach for help almost weekly. We began supplying 6 foodbanks in Newham, now we're delivering to over 100 foodbanks, community and homeless groups across east London and Essex. We're now turning our attention to stocking up for Christmas with chocolate selection boxes for children whose families need to use foodbanks. We are still receiving large quantities of new clothes for distribution to homeless centres, and are focusing on warmer clothes as the weather changes. 
  
How can fans show support for Irons Supporting Foodbanks or get involved? 
 
We update our website www.ironsfoodbanks.co.uk every month so that donors can see where their donations go. We couldn't do what we do without the support of the fans, who through us are able to support those in the community who are struggling. We collect our matchday donations from 3 hours before kickoff on Stratford Walk, and occasionally outside Hackney Wick station. We're always looking for extra volunteers on a matchday so if anyone has a spare hour or so then please get in touch via the website! 

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