Fans Mobilize for Poverty Relief at Historic Merseyside Derby

While Saturday’s Merseyside derby typically sparks rivalry between Everton and Liverpool supporters, this weekend’s fixture carries added significance as fans intend to collaborate in addressing food poverty within the city. The match on Saturday marks the final Premier League derby to be held at Goodison Park, with Everton’s new stadium nearing completion. Katie Carter, representing the fans’ organization The 1878s, discussed their plans for commemorating the event during an interview with BBC Radio Merseyside on Thursday. “We do the flags at Goodison and we kindly have fans who sponsor our displays,” she said.”We decided we always ask people to donate to us to be able to make the flags happen. We decided, why not give something back? How about we try our utmost to make this the biggest collection that the foodbanks have ever had at a football game?”It’s not about Everton or Liverpool, it’s about people in the city coming together as we always do to help those most in need. If every single fan that went to the game, if possible, could bring one tin of food or toiletries, there wouldn’t be one hungry kid in this city on Saturday night.”How good would that make you feel, knowing you have been a part of that and helped the people who most need it?” It is often assumed that food is the sole requirement for individuals experiencing poverty when foodbank donations are considered. However, as Katie clarified, the underlying issues extend beyond just food. “Things have cropped up this week that we didn’t know about,” she added.”There are thousands of children on Merseyside who go to school with no deodorant on and haven’t been washed. They don’t have the products to do that.”There is so much more than just providing food to people. Let’s help these children have better hygiene and stuff like that when they are going to school.”