At the beginning of the Covid crisis, Celtic FC Foundation stood up to provide food and essentials to thousands of families, pensioners, homeless people and NHS frontline staff in Glasgow. As the months rolled by and lockdown measures created mental health issues, the Foundation also focused on this area of assistance.
Backed by a generous Celtic support, ever ready to maintain the club’s charitable roots, the Celtic FC Foundation was able to announce that their Football For Good Fund smashed through the £1m barrier as of yesterday! Part of the Fund was to launch the annual Christmas Appeal and this campaign raised £250k, which brought the overall total over that ginormous landmark.
The Christmas Appeal was launched on 6 November 2020, with the club itself contributing £10k. It’s aims were simple yet essential: to provide food, gifts and comfort for pensioners, refugees, those living in refuge, the homeless community and most importantly children who would otherwise go without. Thanks to the support of the Celtic fans, charity partners and local schools – the Foundation was successful in their quest.
A breakdown of the proceeds was published on the Celtic website yesterday evening:
Glasgow/West of Scotland families with children (£65.2K)
Irish families with children (£10K)
Gifts to Glasgow children and family hampers (£90K)
Local OAPs (£8K)
Children/Family charity partners (£30K)
Women’s Aid charities (£7.5K)
Homeless and refugee charity partners (£39.3K)
As well as direct donations, Celtic FC Foundation held a host of key fundraising initiatives as part of the Appeal. The website also revealed these fundraising activities:
Virtual Toy Drive from December 7
Stay Up for the Champions – Friday, December 4 – Saturday, December 5
Virtual Bucket Collection – Sunday, December 6
Online Shirt Auction – Tuesday, December 8 – Sunday, December 13
Boogie for Good – Friday, December 11
Celtic FC Foundation Letter from Santa
Our New Foundation T-shirt
Gerard Burns’ Glittering Prize Poster Prints
The work of the charity and the support from Celtic fans has ensured that 376 families in Glasgow, North and South Lanarkshire, Belfast/Lisburn and Dublin, who are facing poverty and hardship, have been helped to enjoy the kind of Christmas that most of us take for granted.
200 vulnerable pensioners across Glasgow were also supported, receiving a Christmas hamper directly – thanks to a Festive Friends award through the SPFL Trust – and also via a donation to the Foundation’s partner, Glasgow’s Golden Generation.
In addition to those efforts, Celtic FC Foundation have provided donations to 28 grassroots organisations which support children and families, refugees, the homeless and those living in refuge primarily in Glasgow and the West, but also in Oban, Belfast, London, Newcastle and Ottawa.
Ordinarily the Christmas Appeal would provide a number of festive parties for local children at Celtic Park. Due to covid restrictions this was impossible, but the charity adapted their plans and worked with 13 local Head Teachers to provide Christmas gifts for no fewer than 2,272 disadvantaged children. Thanks to a very generous in-kind donation, valued at around £25K, the Foundation also supplied 976 hampers (one for each family).
As well as financial donations, Celtic fans also gave over 400 brand new toys and gifts, which the Celtic FC Foundation was able to distribute to a number of beneficiary organisations.
This is an absolutely incredible feat by the Foundation and the Celtic support alike. No club values and cherishes their roots quite like us, and we should be proud of all of our efforts.
Thanks so much to @cfcliamk96 for his generosity in allocating net proceeds of all sales of his new book to the Foundation 🍀💚 https://t.co/fuKTdAJooW
— Celtic FC Foundation (@FoundationCFC) December 18, 2020
