Blues boss Kieran McKenna has stressed the importance of the Ipswich Town Foundation ahead of the now-annual fixture dedicated to the club’s community wing against Middlesbrough at Portman Road on Saturday.
The Foundation Fixture, which was instigated for the first time last season for the 6-0 hammering of Charlton Athletic, is dedicated to raising awareness of the work of the Ipswich Town Foundation as well as providing a fundraising opportunity with more than £30,000 raised at the Addicks match a year ago.
Supporters are encouraged to donate to the Foundation through bucket collections, which will include contactless devices for those looking to pay by card. Online donations are also accepted through the Foundation’s JustGiving page and text donations can be made by texting ITFC followed by the sum pledged, eg ITFC10 to donate £10, to 70850.
Town themselves are donating £1 from each home match ticket, £1 from every matchday programme, 50 per cent of the profits on new Foundation products in Planet Blue, 50p per pint and 100 per cent of the profits from the Matchday Lottery.
Some local businesses are also committing to raise cash, among them The Greyhound, Honey & Harvey, The Falcon, Bar Twenty One, the Arcade Tavern, The Cake Station in the FanZone and Combat4Coffee.
"It's so, so important to everyone involved at the football club,” McKenna said when asked about the Foundation.
"I think the work that's going on is tremendous and is only going from strength to strength.
"It's nice that that's the day to celebrate tomorrow. It's nice to have it at the moment, to be honest, because everyone's going to the game tomorrow, we're wanting a performance, we're wanting a win.
"It's the stage of the season where supporters and everyone around the football club are thinking about the outcomes and how a season might finish. But the important thing with the Foundation is that continues irrespective of the result on a Saturday or the result on a Wednesday or an outcome at the end of the season.
"Some of the projects are more important than football and the work they do in the community is more important than any given football match.
"It's great at this busy stage of the season. And, of course, an important stage of the season for those not directly involved in the match to spend a little bit of time and focus on celebrating the work the Foundation does.”