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Football fans have been asked to donate to a Wearside food bank before Sunderland’s next home league game, to help feed people as winter bites and leave them with a little more cash to pay for heating.

Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen will be collecting donations before the SAFC versus Reading game on Saturday, February 11. Donations can be made between 1.30pm and 3pm when the match kicks off.

The collection will be made in the car park outside the Stadium of Light, opposite the Roker End Cafe, not far to the ground’s south-east corner and the Bob Stokoe statue.

Fans are asked to spare what they can. Even a single tin can make a difference. Sunderland’s average home attendance this season is over 38,000.

Donations can be made not far from the Bob Stokoe statue.

The following tinned items would be particularly gratefully received:

Tinned curry, chilli, meatballs, macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognese, tuna, carrots, peas, sweet corn, fruit, custard, rice pudding. Pot Noodles and pasta in sauce are also very welcome.

People are politely asked to ensure that all the food they give is not out of date.

Andrea Bell, operations manager of Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen, said: “Last year was so difficult. Nobody was giving any tinned or packet donations.

Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen needs donations to help people through the winter.

“There was nothing and by November our shelves were empty. So Sunderland Football Club were really kind and I asked them if we could do a collection on the car park.

“We’ve had two already which were really successful. The crowd were amazing, young boys were saying their nana had sent them with tins. It was really good, community-feel stuff.

“Christmas comes, so in January everybody’s skint or they’ve borrowed again. We just give out the food parcels without being asked. We’re trying to keep people out of debt.

“It helps people with their gas and electricity, because they don’t have to spend so much on food. It’s a support system to get people through the winter.”

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Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen and the football club have also arranged for two further collections this season.

These will be at the home games currently scheduled for 3pm Saturday kick-offs against Luton Town on March 18 and Watford on April 29. Please give generously.

Sunderland fans asked to take food bank donations to Reading match, as Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen sets up outside Stadium of Light