Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has generously donated £250,000 to help tackle poverty in the city.
The 47-year-old has dug into his own pocket as part of the Wolves Foundation’s £500,000 Feed Our Pack project.
The scheme aims to reduce the effects of food poverty and support residents of Wolverhampton affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The project, which will run for an initial three years, has also been made possible by a £250,000 grant from the Premier League PFA Community Fund.
Nuno said: “Wolves fans and the people of Wolverhampton have been fantastic to me since I arrived here almost four years ago, and I wanted to give something back and help the people who are struggling during the pandemic.
“When you live in a city, you see and hear how people have been affected, but it is also a great city where people help and support each other and this is a really important project from the Wolves Foundation.
“Together we are stronger and I hope our supporters will want to join in and make sure we look after those people in our community who need it most during these really difficult times.”
Feed Our Pack will support selected foodbanks in the city to help increase the amount of food distributed to meet demand.
It will also aim to combat holiday hunger by providing a programme of food, sport and education to local children during school holidays.
Wolves executive chairman Jeff Shi said: “I am impressed and very proud of the Wolves Foundation for their commitment and dedication to helping the community during the pandemic and in launching Feed Our Pack.
“It is also fantastic to see Nuno has been moved to add his personal support and contribution to help give the project a really strong start.
“Moving forward, we now hope that many others will be encouraged to become involved and add their support however they can so the Foundation are able to be there for the people in Wolverhampton who have been so badly affected over the last year.”
Unemployment rates and numbers of people claiming Universal Credit in Wolverhampton are above the national average and 29 per cent of children within the city are categorised as living in poverty.
The Foundation will also work with a number of local food providers to ensure there is enough available to support the vulnerable.
“The pandemic has affected Wolverhampton as it has so many other parts of the country, and as Wolves’ official charity we feel it is only right to launch one of the most ambitious and potentially impactful projects that we have ever taken on,” said Will Clowes, head of the Wolves Foundation.
“We are extremely appreciative of the initial grant from the PLPFA fund, and then Nuno’s generosity in matching their investment, and will also be looking for fans and people from the city to support Feed Our Pack over the coming weeks and months.”
