Crusaders Chairman Ronnie Millar has thanked everyone involved as club volunteers continue to distribute thousands of meals to the local community in North Belfast each week during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Seaview club alongside their community partners which include New Beginnings, The Hubb Centre, Mariners, LCAP and The Fuse Project have embarked on an ambitious scheme to deliver a substantial amount of hot meals on a daily basis from Monday to Saturday each week to the local community in the Lower North Belfast Area.

In a busy two weeks up to 3,000 meals have been going out from the McDonald Centre each week to those in need and we will continue to provide three free meals a week for the foreseeable future.

Chairman Ronnie Millar stated Ronnie stated "I cannot thank everyone who has made this scheme happen enough, from the community representatives of the area, politicians and those within Crusaders who helped secure the funding it has been a huge success for the community to date.

“The meals are being prepared in the McDonald Centre by Crusaders volunteers and then delivered to the different areas on a daily basis by a small army of volunteers from each zone covered. The way everyone has come together makes me so proud and to hear the feedback from families of those we are helping has been heart-warming.

“In these times we are living in at the moment we have to make sure the vulnerable are being cared for and with Crusaders Football Club at the centre of it has been brilliant"
Ronnie continued "Our manager Stephen Baxter has also been out in the community delivering and like so many others he has been humbled with the reaction of the people on the doorstep and the way everyone in the partnership have come together to make sure the meals are delivered on time each day.

“We are giving just a small part back to the community that has supported us for many years. It's the least we can do to make sure the older generation, people who are in self isolation and the vulnerable are kept fed with hot meals at this time."

Crusaders would like to put on record the club’s thanks to everyone who have helped in making this the success it has been. Without you it could not have happened.

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