Wolves Foundation are now six months into their Supporting Our Pack campaign, the group of projects which supports people who are vulnerable from not just across Wolverhampton but also further afield.
Supporting Our Pack is not only focused on delivering that emotional and practical help and assistance but also highlights the value of partnership work between the Foundation and other charities and agencies in the city.
A snapshot of the variety of that support includes:
- Distributing pallets of food to over 25 foodbanks and community groups across the city thanks to support from national re-distribution charity His Church.
- Promoting sustainability by donating surplus kit and clothing to benefit projects in Europe, Africa and beyond!
- Exciting partnerships with local businesses such as Evans Halshaw Vauxhall Wolverhampton to collect and distribute toys to be given to families during the holidays.
- Free to access holiday activity clubs at various venues across the city.
- Utilising existing Foundation initiatives such as the Head 4 Health Allotment project growing and donating produce to the Central Community Shop at the Queen’s Building.
- Providing financial wellbeing support through the Foundation’s Building Brighter Futures project which is funded by the Premier League Charitable Fund and City of Wolverhampton Council.
- And most recently, an appeal to collect donations of school uniform to be given out to families who are facing cost-of-living challenges.
Wolves Foundation and His Church have been working together since during the pandemic, and the partnership continues to grow from strength to strength, as outlined by Richard Humphries, director of operations with His Church.
“At His Church, we provide full transport and logistical solutions to surplus stock whether that is food, clothing, all manner of toys, or sleeping bags from festivals,” he says.
“It’s all about finding creative solutions so we don’t waste perfectly good products, and a big part of that is food.
“We support about 3,000 charities involved in food distribution in the UK, and our biggest football partner is Wolves Foundation, which is an awesome link-up for so many reasons.
“The power of the badge really helps to engage the community – so many people from the city support the club and it’s great for them to see the club supporting them.
“Receiving the donation of kit from Wolves is a massive bonus for us and means we will be able to distribute it all over the world, with plans to send some to an orphanage in Kenya and also to Ukraine and Liberia.
“It brings some cheer to the local children who have heard all about the Premier League but would otherwise never be able to get their hands on any kit, and are able to see that someone is thinking about them and caring for their predicament.”
Closer to home is the work the Foundation and His Church deliver with local charities, including the Good Shepherd, with whom the Foundation are involved with the Central Community Shop in the Queen’s Building, which has included donations of fresh produce from the Head 4 Health allotment.
Foodbanks are also supported, including The Well, who received one of the recent pallets distributed with Supporting Our Pack.
“At the Well, we support people in need, and send out approximately 120 food parcels a week to families in Wolverhampton,” says Christine Endean, Project Administrator at The Well.
“We work with a lot of different agencies including Wolves Foundation, Social Services and Wolverhampton Homes, and different agencies who can refer people on to us.
“There is a lot of teamwork involved, because when we receive a pallet, we can often send items on to other foodbanks in the city.
“This support from Wolves Foundation is absolutely amazing because, as with a lot of charities, our finances and donations have reduced since the cost of living crisis.
“This is an incredible help for so many families in Wolverhampton, and we know how much they really appreciate it.”
Alongside the regular assistance given by Supporting Our Pack, are the campaigns which are often delivered as a result of partnerships, such as the Shoebox Appeal at Christmas, and also, more recently, the Toy Drive with Evans Halshaw Vauxhall in Wolverhampton.
Evans Halshaw collected toys, as well as school uniform, at their Wolverhampton showroom which the Foundation will then be able to pass on to children across the community.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Evans Halshaw Vauxhall Wolverhampton are very committed to helping the local community, so we approached the Foundation with the idea of a Toy Drive.
“When Wolves Foundation expressed their interest and after initial meetings, we started the toy drive with the intention of handing over everything before the start of the summer holidays.
“We know that families struggle with entertaining children over such a long period of time off school, so even if a few new toys helped, then that’s a great way for us to support the community. Many of us at the dealership are parents ourselves so we know first-hand the pressure of the long weeks off school.
“Staff, customers and the general public got involved and we were overwhelmed with the number of toys - new and used, that were donated.
“We received bikes, scooters, skateboards, board games, books, DVDs and many other items.
“We are all passionate in the dealership about the links developing with Wolves Foundation and hope to do much more with them in the future to help support the local community.”
Ollie Locker is a senior health officer with Wolves Foundation who either oversees or is involved with many of the different strands of Supporting Our Pack.
“We are now six months into this new campaign and the many different strands of Supporting Our Pack are working well, making a positive impact across the city,” he says.
“As a charity whose main purpose is to support the local community, the Foundation is always ready to adapt to new challenges and that is where the variety and scope of the campaign have been so important.
“What is also really powerful is to see the many different partnerships which have emerged as part of Supporting Our Pack, with different agencies and charities coming together to provide both practical and emotional support just where it is needed.”
- Fans can play a role in Supporting Our Pack if they are able to. Click here for details of ways to donate to Wolves Foundation.
