Boost for Fans Supporting Foodbanks after charity bucket snatched

Posting on X, a Fans Supporting Foodbanks spokesman said: "After over 10 years of foodbank collections at Anfield, Goodison Park and the HDS some chancer took the opportunity to steal our collection bucket this evening. Shame on you, I hope your need is greater than the people we feed and the CCTV images are as clear as can be."

Liverpool Football Club’s official charity, LFC Foundation, and Forever Reds, the club’s official former players association, have donated £5,000 to Fans Supporting Foodbanks in the wake of the theft.

The charitable organisation was founded in 2015 by Everton supporters Dave Kelly and Robbie Daniels, alongside Liverpool fan and West Derby MP Ian Byrne. What began as a small effort collecting donations in a wheelie bin outside Goodison Park has since grown into a major community initiative, supporting people facing food poverty for over a decade.

FSF continues to unite football fans from across rival clubs, holding collections at both Liverpool and Everton home games, with donations helping to supply a network of eight food pantries across Liverpool.

The £5k donation reflects the club’s long‑standing commitment to supporting local communities and recognises the vital work Fans Supporting Foodbanks do to tackle food poverty across Liverpool and beyond, particularly on matchdays.

Matt Parish, LFC Foundation CEO, said: "Fans Supporting Foodbanks are an outstanding example of the power of football to make a positive difference in our communities. Their volunteers give so much of their time to help others, and the work they do is more important than ever. We're proud to support them alongside Forever Reds and to stand with them following this incident."

LFC Foundation supported 145,617 people last season alone, with more than half of the participants from the top 20% most-deprived areas in the country, reflecting the Foundation's focus on communities with the greatest need.

Through Red Neighbours, LFC Foundation also donated more than £500,000 worth of essential food hampers, stadium tours and matchday experiences last season and supported the delivery of 1,000 free meals per week, prepared by the LFC kitchens, to community members.

Forever Reds chair John Aldridge added: “I'm incredibly proud that Forever Reds can support this great cause. Fans Supporting Foodbanks do unbelievable work week in, week out, and when something like this happens, it's important that we all pull together and show what Liverpool Football Club is really about. This is a brilliant initiative run by amazing people, and we're delighted to be able to help."

Forever Reds was created by the club to ensure former Liverpool players always feel part of the LFC family – providing support, involving them in community activities and uniting them to raise funds for local charitable causes in partnership with LFC Foundation.

To date, Forever Reds has donated more than £340,000 to local charities and communities.

Merseyside Police said the FSF collection bucket was stolen between 6.30pm and 8pm on April 14. The thieves are believed to have distracted staff at a stand run by the charity before stealing the cash box. CCTV and witness enquiries are in the process of being carried out, police said.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Sean Harrison said: “To target and steal from a charity in such a way is despicable and we will not tolerate this. We know the area outside of the stadium would have been busy ahead of the Liverpool v Paris Saint-Germain game on Tuesday evening and it is possible someone witnessed the theft.

“I would appeal for anyone who was in the area who saw anything suspicious or has any information to assist us to get in touch so that we can identify the offender and bring them to justice.”

Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police's social media desk via X or Facebook @MerPolCC.

You can also report information via the police website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or by calling 101 quoting incident reference 26000294471.

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously.