Preston North End and Preston North End Community and Education Trust are seeking donations from the public in order to set-up the PNE Helping Hampers campaign, which will aim to help vulnerable members of the community amidst the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The club and the Community and Education Trust are to launch the campaign to support the most vulnerable people who are accessing the Trusts programmes, as well as others from the wider Preston community.

At a challenging time nationwide amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, PNE Helping Hampers will aim to provide support those most in need at this unprecedented time, with the provision of hampers containing goods both vital and engaging.

Hampers will include food and drink that can be catered to a vegan or vegetarian diet, along with puzzle books, Preston North End matchday programmes and home exercise sheets to help recipients to remain active and occupied from home.

Members of staff from the Community and Education Trust will be out in the community delivering hampers to members of the Sporting Memories and walking football programmes, as well as supporting those in need from the wider community. The club and the Community and Education Trust will listen to requests for help and aim to support those most in need.

However, the campaign is dependent on generous donations from the general public, in order to fund the provision of essential items and the delivery of these to recipients of the hampers.

Head of Community Tom Drake said: We understand that this is a challenging time for so many people, and for a whole number of reasons. However, no-one should have to struggle, so we want to reach out to the elderly and vulnerable to provide them with essential items and engaging materials while at home.

Hampers will contain a variety of items to ensure people remain well stocked for food and have plenty to keep them occupied at home over the coming weeks.

To have the support of the football club too is fantastic. We pride ourselves on being a community club and providing for the communitys needs at this time.

We hope that we can rely on our fantastic fanbase and the wider Preston community to help us to deliver this project, providing genuinely vital support under the current circumstances due to the Coronavirus.

Finance Director Kevin Abbott added: As the local football club, we have a massive reach to people in the local area and we want to use that to support the most vulnerable in society at this unprecedented time of need.

Preston North End is a community club with proud family values and at a serious time of need such as this, we will do as much we can to help our supporters, particularly the elderly and the most vulnerable, as well as others in need in our local area.

Fans can donate to the Helping Hampers cause by visiting ___ and making an online donation. We are appreciative of whatever level of support fans can provide, no matter how great or small.