(Volunteers delivering subsistence packs to Belfast's homeless on December 23rd: left to right Clair Taggart, Sarah Killops, Corey Harvey, Rory Donnelly, Grace McGarry, Sarah Stewart, Curtis Harvey - photograph by Jodie Killops)
It was a very different Glentoran Christmas Appeal this year, but the good work and generosity of the Glentoran Family was never more necessary as the club staged the appeal for the seventh year.
Due to the health & safety restrictions on supporter attendances and general mobility caused by COVID-19 19 throughout 2020, it was decided that it was impractical and unsafe this year to follow our normal practice of providing Hampers and Survival packs. To offset this and maximise the goodwill of our supporters, this year’s appeal relied on our supporters making cash donations, which were then transferred into shopping vouchers, meat vouchers and electric or gas top up vouchers to help those who have been affected by the virus.
In total the cash donations totalled just over £3,000. This was then topped up by a very generous personal contribution from the club and Glentoran’s majority shareholder, Mr Ali Pour. Many thanks Ali for your continued support for our local East Belfast community!
Among the benefits gained through the Glentoran Christmas Appeal were the following:
- Subsistence packs for homeless people, containing food, chocolate, water, hand sanitiser, baby wipes and toothpaste
- The Pizza Co donated towards a Movie and Pizza Night for our friends at the Stella Maris Hostel.
- The Pizza Co also donated pizzas to families in need across East Belfast,
- Tasty Food provided pies and sausage rolls for local families and foodbanks over the 8-week pre-Christmas period
- Gary McAleese of All You Need Is Cake contributed three hampers and also a number of vouchers for free children’s birthday cakes.
- Glentoran Superstore provided Glentoran hat and scarf sets for local pensioners.
- Ruth McCreery contributed half of the income from this year’s Glentoran Hamper Draw to the appeal, with the balance donated to RNLI.
- Glentoran Vice President Tommy McKee donated all revenue from the series of supporter medals he produced this Autumn.
- Raven GSC, North Down GSC and Glentoran Sydenham End all made generous cash donations to the appeal.
Public Safety restrictions meant that the usual number of players were not able to go to the City Centre this year, but we were delighted to welcome Rory Donnelly and his fiancé, Grace McGarry who joined the team on December 23rd to distribute subsistence packs to homeless people around the city.
Thank you to our small army of volunteers ... Jodie Killops, Alicia Dickson, Corey Harvey, Curtis Harvey, Sarah Killops, Clair Taggart, Ally Fulton, Ruth McCreery, Kiera McDermott, Sara McCreery, Sarah Stewart, Rory Donnelly and Grace McGarry.
But most of all, thank you to the entire Glentoran Family for their consistent generosity and support for those in need at the end of a very traumatic year.
Happy New Year!
