00:00Football fans in Liverpool are continuing to tackle food poverty off the pitch.
00:05The initiative, Fans Supporting Food Banks, has become a lifeline for many families
00:10and it's all driven by supporters of the city's two biggest clubs.
00:14The one constituency in Liverpool, six of the eight wards within that constituency
00:22are amongst the most socially and economically deprived in the UK.
00:26And the other thing they have in common is that it's the only constituency in the country to have two Premier League clubs.
00:34Launched in 2015, Fans Supporting Food Banks brings together Liverpool and Everton supporters
00:40to collect donations on match days.
00:42What started with a single wheelie bin outside Goodison has grown into one of the largest fan-led food bank operations in the UK.
00:51I get great support from Prescott Cables, my local football team,
00:55so at every home game you have a donation point.
00:59And the idea is, you know the idea is, if every fan just brought one can.
01:03The organisation now runs community pantries like the one here in West Derby.
01:09People make a small donation towards a membership and they're able to fill up their bags with essentials.
01:15We thought we'll do it outside as a mobile pantry, make it more like a market or a farmer's market.
01:20A bit of music playing, as you can hear in the background, and get a bit more upbeat to actually destigmatise food poverty.
01:28So people that come now, because they pay a small price and they get the whole bag of shop and the weekly groceries, fresh meat, fresh veg.
01:37It's a bit humbler when you come, because in your own life you get on with your own things.
01:41You don't realise there's people in need. In this city, it's outrageous that we've got people going to bed hungry. What's that about?
01:48It's not just about match day collections. The campaign's built strong community partnerships across the city.
01:54So we started picking up their food, had lots of surplus food from supermarkets, needed a place to take it.
02:00And this was just ideal. There's already lots of people coming who need that extra food and they appreciate getting the extra pastries, the bread, the fruit and veg we give them each week.
02:08The Food Bank for pets. Liverpool's zero waste. It's about bringing other communities together.
02:15It's about working with organisations like the Erbic Farm, who donate stuff to our pastries.
02:24And that's what's really important to us. It's about community cohesion. It's about bringing people together to benefit the communities.
02:33People have got struggles in their lives. So when they come here, the idea for me is to make sure they get a proper shop,
02:40they have a laugh, they can listen to a bit of music. And if they need a chat, we're here to have a chat as well.
02:47With demand for food banks rising, organisers say the need has never been greater.
02:52Their message is simple. Football is powerful when it comes together and no one should have to go hungry.
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