Liam Payne has announced he has donated the equivalent of 360,000 meals to foodbanks to help those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
The former One Direction star has linked up with The Trussell Trust to support 100 food banks centres across the Midlands and UK cities to ensure no one goes hungry in these uncertain times.
The 26-year-old Strip That Down singer explained that the meals will be distributed over the next three months to people in key areas suffering from the fallout of the pandemic.
Foodbanks are expected to come under unprecedented strain as the amount of people relying on them is expected to increase after millions lost their incomes due to the virus outbreak.
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Announcing his donation Liam, who grew up in Wolverhampton, said: “It’s not right that anyone in our country is unable to afford food.
“Foodbanks do incredible work to help the people most in need of support.
“It’s vital that we get support to those people right now as this crisis unfolds.
“The Trussell Trust is working with food banks across the country to ensure emergency help is there for people who don’t have money for the basics.
“But I’m also donating because of the work they do to work towards a future where no one needs a foodbank — we can’t end the conversation with getting emergency food to people, as vital as that is.”
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He then said that when the pandemic is over, the reliance of thousands on the use of foodbanks needs to be looked at.
“When we’re out on the other side of this, we need to look at why there are people in this country who don’t have enough money for food.
“I want to play my part in finding a solution to ensure people have enough money to buy their own food — and end the need for foodbanks.”
Liam’s donation comes after some foodbanks have been forced to close after donations dwindled during the pandemic.
(Image: Getty Images)
Emma Revie, Trussel Trust chief executive, said the charity is “so grateful” for Liam’s donation.
She added: “This will help us continue to support our network of food banks to provide the best possible emergency help to people referred at an uncertain time.
“Our main priority is the safety of everyone at a foodbank, and having support like this helps us ensure that emergency support can continue to be available in the safest possible way.”
