Blues supporters have the chance to take Ipswich Town Fans Supporting Foodbanks past their £10,000 target for the season when they hold their final community food collection of the season ahead of Saturday’s crucial home game against Huddersfield Town.
Supporters will have the opportunity to donate food items in the club’s FanZone and by the Sir Bobby Robson statue on the Portman Road for local Suffolk charity partner Families in Need (FIND).
Over the last two seasons, the Blue Army has come together to donate near to 150 full crates of food and has raised more than £8,000 this season alone for FIND.
Fan-led independent group Ipswich Town Fans Supporting Foodbanks is continuing to work with the club and the Ipswich Town Foundation to make the final game of the season the most successful yet.
With this season’s ambitious target of £10,000 in sight, fans are asked to show solidarity with their community as the group aim to sign the season off with enough money to see FIND through until the season begins again in August. Financial donations can also be made via a GoFundMe page.
Ipswich Town Fans Supporting Foodbanks was born out of the idea that football fans can come together, regardless of club allegiance, to support those less fortunate. It is one of the 40-plus groups across the English footballing pyramid which was born from the Fans Supporting Foodbanks initiative launched by Liverpool and Everton fans in 2015.
The national campaign is run under the premise of Hunger Doesn't Wear Club Colours - it doesn't have a race or a religion, it doesn't have a creed, it doesn't have a gender.
Nationally, the group has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of donations for local causes and hope eventually to have a fan-led organisation at every club in the 92 and beyond.
The most recent figures show the number of food parcels distributed in Suffolk hit a record high in October 2022 with 9,460 provided in one month. Â
In Ipswich, 8,160 children are reported to be living in poverty. That’s 8,160 too many.
Spokesperson and organiser of the Ipswich Town group Elijah Aldridge says: "We cannot overstate just how exciting things are at Ipswich, both on and off the pitch.
"With Town just one point away from a place in the Premier League, the support and generosity shown by the Blue Army has been of Champions League standard.
"The summer months can be the busiest for FIND with the pressures of school holidays causing increased demand.
"Without our regular monthly matchday donation drive, we want to sign off with our biggest showing of solidarity yet.â€