Call to raise the Toon Army
CHARITY HOPES TO HIT 100K TARGET
A FOOTBALL shirt signed by 20 Newcastle United players as well as manager Rafa Benitez is up for grabs to raise cash for a great cause.
The ToonAid charity which is auctioning it hope it will fetch up to £500 to help them hit their ambitious £100,000 Christmas Day Challenge to benefit the Newcastle West End Food Bank.
With less than a week to go the total stands at £60,000.
Monju Miah of ToonAid said: “This is part of the final push to reach the £100,000 target. The money is needed for the running costs and upkeep of the food bank.”
It costs around £130,000 a year to keep the food bank running and Mr Miah said if they hit their target, it could give them the chance to offer other services there, like advice on employment and handling debt.
He added: “We can’t thank Rafa Benitez and Newcastle United enough for their help.”
ToonAid, a Newcastle-based charity, raised £50,000 for its Christmas Day challenge last year.
They are also calling on the 50,000 Toon fans going to the home game against Fulham on Saturday to donate at least £1 to help them reach their target.
The NUFC Fans Food Bank will be helping collect the cash towards the cause as well as food donations.
One of the people behind the NUFC Fans group, Bill Corcoran, said: “The ToonAid Christmas Appeal lets us express that commitment to our home, team, family, community and region by letting the tens of thousands give a little to help the people and families forced into the indignity of having to ask for help to feed themselves and families, at a time when most of us can give presents and eat more than we need.
“It is to the eternal credit of Newcastle United fans and others, who contribute to the food bank at every home match, online and at the Grainger Market donation station, that their contributions have been such a pivotal and important part of sustaining the biggest food bank in the UK. A badge of shame that such an obscenity exists here is partially assuaged by the generous Geordies who have done something about it.
“ToonAid is a shining example of that spirit and I hope everyone gets behind it to get our people through this terrible winter.”
Meanwhile the councillor for Elswick, in whose ward the food bank is located, Labour’s Ann Schofield, said: “I wish there was no need for the West End Food Bank but I’m so grateful for all it does to help people in our local communities who are in crisis and struggling to survive. “Because of the generosity of Newcastle United fans, local businesses and community groups such as ToonAid, we are well on the way to raising £100,000 for the food bank by Christmas Day.
“Many, many thanks to the fans and everyone who have already given money or helped as a volunteer.”
The West End Food Bank hands out 10 tonnes of food and feeds on average 1,000 people every week. In the last year it has given out more than 42,000 three-day emergency food packs.
To bid for the ToonAid shirt go to Toonaid1892@gmail.com or Twitter: @ Toonaid1
As well as the Toon Aid shirt, the NUFC Fans Food Bank also has an ongoing auction of its own which ends on Friday at 1pm.
Up for grabs is a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale and glass owned by Sir Bobby Robson, with a signed note from the great man, dating back to 2003. The current top bid for it is £320.
Meanwhile, bidding for Kenedy’s training top stands at £100 and for a T-shirt donated by Aleksander Mitrovic, now playing for Fulham, stands at £75. To bid for any of these go to twitter: @BillCorcoran5
ToonAid is a shining example of the spirit and I hope everyone gets behind it