Doncaster Rovers players boost our Free Press Foodbank campaign.

The club's players and staff held their own collection for Doncaster Foodbank after fans had already run a collection, when DRFCFans4Foodbanks set up a collection point at the Keepmoat Stadium on matchdays.


The Rovers Academy trainees organised the collection and made the first-team players and coaches got their donations in before Christmas.

Academy players and their families also made donations, as did staff at the Cantley Park training ground.


Academy head of education Tony Morton said: “We saw what the supporters were doing, and decided we wanted to do our bit. In fact, a number of the first-team players have asked us to continue the collections beyond Christmas so we will keep bringing items in to try and help those less fortunate.”


Meanwhile, Mexborough Foodbank has seen festive events boost its work.

Halifax bank branches in Mexborough and Rotherham donated advent calendars at end of November and collected food from staff and customers.

Jim Walton, of JP Walton & Son haulage, and Erkan Kose, of Mezza Pizza, both donated £150 each towards a bumper festive hamper of £100 plus £200 of food donations.

De Warenne Academy pupils and staff in Conisbrough donated a trolley full of food.

Pennine View School pupils organised a 'reverse advent calendar' where youngsters brought in a donated food item each day.

Mexborough Academy pupils are supporting us again with festive donations.

Mexborough Spiritualist Church has donated festive food and 'wellness kits' containing woolly hats and personal hygiene items.

The Old Market Hall Wetherspoon has set up a collection point set up at the end of the bar.

And St Leger Homes staff have also donated to Mexborough Foodbank.

Sean Gibbons, who runs the foodbank, said: "I would like to pass on my huge thanks for the generosity of our local communities and businesses who have all come together to help us to support those less fortunate at a very challenging time of year."

We launched the Free Press Doncaster Foodbank campaign to call on residents and businesses to help the borough’s foodbanks by making donations of food, or to offer premises as collection points.

The campaign was launched after concerns from foodbank chiefs and Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough, which issues food bank vouchers, over a major surge in demand while the new Universal Credit benefit is being rolled out across Doncaster.

Donations to Doncaster Foodbank can be delivered to Christ Church any Tuesday or Thursday between 9am and midday. Mexborough has collection points at Mexborough Library and the Children’s Hub.

Items urgently needed include tinned fruit, long life fruit juice, tinned rice pudding, tinned meat, pasta sauce and rice. Doncaster Foodbank also takes toiletries, cleaning and sanitary products.