Liverpool Football Club’s players, partners, staff and community teams are coming together this Christmas to spread some festive cheer throughout their local communities.
The Club is continuing its huge community response to the pandemic by today launching ‘Operation Christmas Magic’ – a campaign which is focused on supporting local people in need.
The campaign is specifically aimed at tackling food poverty and social isolation during the build up to Christmas.
Anfield Chefs will produce 1,000 free meals every week throughout December for the community – which takes the total to over 30,000 free meals since April this year.
The Club’s retail stores have also stepped in and are donating 1,000 LFC gifts to Radio City’s Cash for Kids toy appeal so local children can wake up on Christmas morning with a present.
LFC’s Red Neighbours team will donate and deliver 1,500 Christmas food hampers to local residents in Anfield and Kirkby. The hampers will include fresh food to prepare a turkey roast dinner and a host of festive treats. Club partners, Quorn, Cadbury, AXA, Joie, Lavazza and NH Foods are also supporting the Christmas food hampers to ensure they have that extra special touch.
Cadbury will also be teaming up with Red Neighbours and the LFC Foundation as part of its Secret Santa campaign.
Billy Hogan, Chief Executive Officer, Liverpool FC said: “Since this dreadful pandemic began, we immediately adapted our support for the local community, particularly for those who are faced with food poverty and social isolation.
“We now want to extend that even further and we have all corners of the Club backing our campaign to support local families in the run up to Christmas, which we know can be a difficult time for a lot of people.
“We hope that the thousands of free meals donated throughout December and our first ever virtual Christmas events will go some way to helping people feel like they’re not alone this Christmas.”
LFC will bring the festivities home to its communities by hosting a range of virtual events, including its first team’s annual visit to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, a first ever virtual community Christmas carol service with star guests and a free community winter wonderland family event hosted by LFC Foundation.
If supporters would like to get involved, then there’s a LFC just giving page on Radio City’s Cash for Kids website to make a cash donation online here.
Fans can also support by donating new and unwrapped gifts and dropping them off at collection points located at any Liverpool FC Store in Liverpool or Chester, or alternatively use text to donate by texting the word CITY to 70910 to donate £10 or CITY to 70920 to donate £20.
Christmas can be a difficult time for many people. If you or someone you know needs specialist support, please contact:
Age UK – 0800 678 1602
Samaritans – 116 123
MIND – www.mind.org.uk
Childline – 0800 1111
