Local foodbanks welcome helping hand from Hankook Tyre

Hankook Tyre UK, elite sponsor of the Northampton Saints, collected for the Daventry and Northampton foodbanks earlier this month as the Club took on Newport Gwent Dragons in the second round of the Anglo-Welsh Cup. Hankook and the Saints asked supporters to bring non-perishable items to the game for collection at the Hankook trailer, located in the Supporter Village at Franklin’s Gardens. Hankook also organised a collection at their head office in Daventry, where staff donated Christmas treats for the cause.

Paul Charter, a volunteer at the Daventry Foodbank, said: “It was great to spend the afternoon in the Northampton Saints Village receiving donations of food from the amazing Saints supporters. People of all ages brought donations large and small, these will be included in food parcels, which are life changing for so many. So far this year, the Daventry District have given out 650 food parcels tailored to the needs of their recipients. These will have been referred to us by 130 agencies. The call on our food bank has increased year on year since we opened in 2009. We are so grateful to Hankook Tyres and Northampton Saints for supporting us, especially at this time of year which for many is so challenging.”

Helped by Saints mascot Bernie, Zoe Baldwin, marketing communication manager at Hankook Tyres, distributed the collection between the Daventry and two Northampton Foodbanks. “More and more families are finding it difficult to make ends meet,” she commented. “The foodbanks provide emergency supplies for families in need and Hankook, along with our friends at Northampton Saints, were delighted to support this worthy project.”

Mark Darbon, chief executive officer at Northampton Saints, added, “Christmas can put extra pressure on families, so we were delighted to support Hankook’s campaign at our home game. Foodbanks can provide vital support for those experiencing crisis locally, so I am grateful to our staff and supporters for getting behind this excellent initiative and for donating generously.”