Sale Sharks and England star Marland Yarde proved he’s a dab hand in the kitchen as well as on the field as he made the most of a game free week by using his time to provide food boxes to hostels supported by Manchester charity Centrepoint.
Marland, who struck up a partnership with Centrepoint after a chance meeting with a homeless man last year, joined Sharks chefs as the club cooked up hot meals for two hostels in the city.
More than 75 boxes of food were prepared by chefs at the club’s Carrington training ground on Wednesday before being packed up and delivered to the venues in the pouring Manchester rain.
Club sponsor, BOL also showed their support for the initiative by donating a number of their plant based soups for the residents of the two hostels to enjoy.
And Marland was joined on the delivery by Academy player, Tom Curtis, Sharks Women and Ireland international Lauren Delany and staff from Sharks Community Trust.
The event was part of a partnership struck up between Sale Sharks and Centrepoint after Marland met a homeless man at a cashpoint in Manchester City Centre and took the time to speak to him about his story.
Inspired by how he came to be living on the streets and the support he had received from Centrepoint, Marland decided he wanted to do something to support Manchester’s homeless community and contacted the charity himself.
Before Christmas Marland dropped off around 1,000 items of clothing and vital toiletries donated by players and club staff. And the club also launched a virtual collection bucket, which Sharks fans have used to raise almost 800 pounds for Centrepoint.
But he was desperate to follow that up with more action to support Manchester’s homeless community and the work that Centrepoint does.
Marland said: “It was brilliant to be able to donate so much clothing to Centrepoint before Christmas because we know that’s what they really need during the cold winter months.
“But I didn’t want that to be a one-off event. I desperately want to do more so we came up with the idea of providing food to the hostels.
“We had been working with some Manchester restaurants but when the January lockdown happened with the introduction of restrictions, we had to think of something else to do. And that’s when the club stepped up again.
“All of us, me included, have been guilty in the past of turning a blind eye to people when they ask for help. But we need to do more to give these young people the opportunity to get back on their feet.
“I’m determined to continue to use my platform to do more because the problem isn’t going away. In fact, because of the pandemic it’s just getting worse.”
The delivery was coordinated by Centrepoint’s regional fundraising manager Hannah Winter who has been working with the Community Trust on the partnership.
She said:“We are very grateful to the dedication of Marland and Sale Sharks. They have already made a real impact and we look forward to continue working together to further support the homeless community.
“As the pandemic endures and those without a home face cold weather conditions, it has never been more important to work with the Manchester community to deliver the most effective, practical, and emotional support to vulnerable young people who need us now more than ever.”
Supporters can donate to Centrepoint at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/sale-sharks
