Former Liverpool players Chris Kirkland and Neil Mellor showed their support for LFC Foundation’s Operation Christmas Magic fundraising scheme which launched this morning.
Anfield played host to the nationwide Cash For Kids appeal which has has raised over £225,000 this year.
But Operation Christmas Magic aims to help families and children in the Merseyside area specifically who could be suffering from food poverty.
The Hits Radio crew of Joel Ross and Leanne Campbell hosted an in-store radio show at the Anfield retail store to launch the appeal.
Kirkland and Mellor made a combined 57 appearances for the Reds, and the latter was even part of the infamous 2005 Champions League winning squad in Istanbul, before suffering a career-ending knee injury in December 2011.
Kirkland, who played at Anfield between 2001 and 2004, was briefly the women’s team goalkeeping coach, and notably appeared in this year’s Liverpool versus Ajax Legends game.
He only got 11 minutes in the game, but speaking to The Athletic in October, he said: “I don’t class myself as a Liverpool legend at all, but when they asked me, I thought how it would be nice for Lucy (daughter) to see my play at Anfield.
“It was brief, but it was amazing. I really didn’t expect the reception I got from the fans when I came on.”
Despite his relatively brief career at Liverpool, he remains a popular figure, and his appearance at Operation Christmas Magic this morning is sure to have boosted the cause.
The event also included free breakfast sandwiches for those who came along, and the Liverpool mascot, Mighty Red, met fans and people from the community who donated.
In the coming days and weeks, the club will continue its charitable efforts, as they will be providing ‘800 local people with a Christmas dinner and festive entertainment’, as well as giving out 2,000 food hampers to local residents and families in the area.
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital has also been a beneficiary of Liverpool’s Christmas activities, with the annual visit from players from the men’s and women’s teams set go ahead this Christmas.
With just 12 days until Christmas Day, Liverpool is doing all it can to provide help for those suffering from food poverty this festive period.
