Football heroes: just some of the donations collected for the South Norwood Community Kitchen at yesterday’s match
Croydon FC might have lost their first game of 2022 to an unlucky injury-time goal at the Arena yesterday, but the people of South Norwood turned out as the real winners after an impressively generous donations day held for the local community kitchen and food bank.
The Trams, under their new chair, Gavin English, have progressive and community-based plans, with the ambition of getting the club back to the Isthmian League in four years.
The organisers of the South Norwood Community Kitchen described yesterday’s collection as “epic”.
“Thanks to all those for sorting,” they said, “Gavin for inviting us, Jason, Warren and everyone else who helped out. We may not have won on the pitch but we have left winners nonetheless!
“Looking forward to how our two community organisations can work together for bigger and better things going forward.”
With English now the club chairman, the football club’s board has been revamped to have more of the skills needed to take the club forward.
Match up: volunteers from the community kitchen giving their support to the football team
There’s the promise of some new players being brought in this month (it is the January transfer window, after all), and to set up a fans forum, too.
Meanwhile, the mutual aid fund-raising and donation-gathering work of the South Norwood Kitchen continues, with them now seeking donations of toys and games for the children of refugees and asylum-seekers living in Croydon and Crystal Palace.
“We have put an Amazon wish list together,” they say. “If you are able to support us in providing these children with some good quality toys, or if you have anything new and similar to donate, it would bring a lot of joy.”
Click here for the South Norwood Community Kitchen’s Amazon wish list.
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