Generous Lou Macari will help to feed thousands of cash-strapped families – after donating £24,000 to Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank.

The former Stoke City manager offered to make the donation, via his Macari Foundation, after attending a presentation on the charity’s work.

Lou has been running the Macari Centre, a homeless shelter in Hanley, since 2016.

But he says he was shocked at the number of families in North Staffordshire who are struggling to feed themselves.

Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank experienced its busiest ever year in 2018/19, handing out 12,773 food parcels, including 4,646 for children.

Foodbank use has increased.

Lou made the offer to the charity’s chair of trustees, Keith Stubbs, after hearing about its work.

He said: “I had no idea of the job Keith did until I went to the presentation. Afterwards I thought that they could do with a bit of support. We’re going to give them £24,000 over the next 12 months and then review it.

“It’s so sad that in this day and age, in Stoke-on-Trent, families are having to queue up for food vouchers.

“I know about homelessness here, and we always make sure to feed the people we help. But I didn’t realise that there were so many families who don’t have enough food to eat.

“The fact that demand is going up makes it even worse. If it was stable then at least you could say that we’ll be able to rectify the problem in a few years. But it seems that things are going to get worse before they get better.

“It’s hard to believe that people are struggling like that in this country. In my day job, in football, I see the other side of things.”

Lou Macari at the official opening of the Macari Centre.
Lou Macari at the Macari Centre.

Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank, which is part of the national Trussell Trust network, distributes food from 16 locations across North Staffordshire.

Struggling families are given vouchers by partners such as social workers and health visitors, which they can exchange for food parcels.

The charity also offers help and advice to users, to try and tackle their underlying problems.

Last year the three biggest reasons for people using the foodbank were low income, benefit changes and benefit delays. Demand for food parcels has increased considerably following the full service roll-out of Universal Credit in Stoke-on-Trent.

Keith welcomed Lou’s donation. He said: “This donation was amazing and will have a huge impact in helping to secure the ongoing work of the foodbank across the city. All associated with the foodbank wish to thank Mr Macari for this generous offer of support.”

The number of food parcels handed out by the charity increased by 33.5 per cent last year. But the foodbank also received a record amount of donated food  – 105 tonnes – which was a 24 per cent increase on the previous year.

Keith added: “It is extremely important that we continue to receive great support from the hundreds of local organisations who now regularly donate food from their church, school or business, because demand has never been higher, and all the indications show that this year demand remains high.

“We are very grateful for all the support we receive whether it be in the form of food donations or financial support in order to cover our overheads and keep the service running.”

To find out more about supporting Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank, email info@stokeontrent.foodbank.org.uk, call 07496564436, or visit https://stokeontrent.foodbank.org.uk/

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