The West Coast Eagles is calling on all members and fans to support its fifth annual Cans for a Cause drive during our round 14 clash with Melbourne at Domain Stadium on Saturday.
Cans for a Cause is a large-scale food drive that benefits Western Australia’s largest hunger relief organisation, Foodbank WA. The annual event offers West Coast fans an opportunity to help Foodbank fight hunger by providing cans of food to provide a meal for those in need.
West Coast Eagles legend and former assistant coach Don Pyke founded the initiative in 2013 and since its inception Cans for a Cause has garnered more than 18 tonnes of food goods, the equivalent of 36,000 meals.
Although Pyke has moved on from the club, the West Coast OWLS (older, wiser, larger, slower) legends have continued to show their support by volunteering to collect donations from fans before the game. Club greats, including inaugural Eagles captain Ross Glendinning, will collect donations during this year’s Cans for a Cause event.
“We are very proud of our partnership with the West Coast Eagles and the support that we have received from the OWLS and the West Coast fans is just fantastic,” Foodbank WA chief executive Greg Hebble said.
“Cans for a Cause not only provides an opportunity for us to raise awareness about the growing issue of food insecurity, it also helps us feed more families who are struggling to put food on their table.
“As the weather starts to cool, it’s a timely reminder that many people in our community will struggle to stay warm and well fed and winter is always one of our busiest times of year. Of the 53,000 people that rely on us for a meal each month, 22,000 are children. Sadly, we also know that there are many more that miss out due to the lack of available food.
“The canned goods collected on Saturday 24 June will us provide winter staple foods across all six branches. We encourage all fans to bring along canned food including soup, tinned meat and canned fruits and vegetables to the game. A little bit really does go a long way.”
Foodbank WA ambassador and West Coast Eagles captain Shannon Hurn said it was great to see that the OWLS were continuing to support Cans for a Cause.
“Foodbank provides over 5.7 million meals to Western Australians in need each year,” Hurn said.
“For our members and past players to get behind such a great cause year after year really shows how generous the West Coast family is.”
Bring along a can of food and drop it into one of Foodbank’s dedicated donation bins located around Domain Stadium or donate online at www.foodbankwa.org.au
