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QPR urges football fans to bring groceries to match for food bank donations

Donations: The team are asking fans to bring items to the ground ahead of the match against Aston Villa: PA
Donations: The team are asking fans to bring items to the ground ahead of the match against Aston Villa: PA

QPR has become the second London football club to ask fans to bring spare groceries to a match to donate to a local food bank.

Supporters will be asked to bring surplus non-perishable items such as tinned fruit, tinned vegetables, tinned meat, tinned rice pudding, instant mash and powdered milk to tomorrow’s Championship clash with Aston Villa.

They will be able to donate the contributions at three collection points around the club’s Loftus Road ground. Similar schemes have been organised by clubs such as Liverpool, Everton, Burnley, Newcastle United and Rangers and Millwall.

The donations will be handed over to a food bank in Hammersmith & Fulham borough.

There will be collection points around the club's ground (Ker Robertson/Getty Images)
There will be collection points around the club's ground (Ker Robertson/Getty Images)

Hoops winger David Wheeler, who visited one of the centres this week with fellow player Chris Paul to help pack prepare emergency food packs, said: “The more people that bring what they can is obviously going to help the people in desperate need, the people that can’t afford to buy their own food. Not only would that help the people that are in dire need, it would also help raise awareness of the issue.”

Hammersmith & Fulham council leader Stephen Cowan, said: “QPR is one of the great football clubs of this country and we’re deeply proud to have it in the borough. They are much more than a football club.

“It’s great to have David and Chris showing their compassion and doing their bit to support the fight against food poverty.”

Saturday’s donations of non-perishable food will go towards three-day emergency food packs that are given to people who are referred to the foodbank when in crisis. Daphine Aikens, founder and chief executive of Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank, said: “The reality of hunger in our community must be given the attention it deserves.

We are really grateful that QPR are having an event for us on Saturday, which we’re really excited about.”

The three collection points on Saturday are: The Family FanZone, Play Football Shepherds Bushon South Africa Road; outside the main reception, also on South Africa Road, and on the corner of Loftus Road and Ellerslie Road