TikTok star Max McCann joins forces with Burnley FC in the Community Foodbank to help drive donations

Max McCann, who built up a huge social media following during lockdown by teaching others how to make healthy meals on a budget, is on a mission to provide one million meals to those in need.

In a bid to raise funds and awareness for his campaign, Max sent out emails to as many football clubs in the country he could think of to see if they would partner up with him.Burnley FC were the only ones to reply.

Now, London-based Max and the team at Burnley FC in the Community Foodbank, are planning on holding a community fundraising day at the club where they will call on the Burnley public to help fill the Turf Moor Fanzone with donations.

Max, who through his initiative has already been able to provide 5,000 meals to families facing food insecurity, said: "5,000 meals is amazing, but there’s so many people throughout the whole of the UK, literally starving; there’s four million children going hungry. And I just needed to do something bigger and better than what I was doing at the moment. So I thought, what could be a massive campaign that could help thousands and thousands of people, especially at a tough time during the year around Christmas?

"Burnley, I think, are the only football club in the UK who have a food bank attached to it, doing all the amazing things that they’re doing. The initial goal we had was for 22,000 donations – one for every seat in the stadium – but we’re now looking at filling the Fanzone instead.

"People will be able to bring food donations down on the day, and we’re going to set up a GoFund me page for anyone who can’t make it, or for any local businesses or investors, who would like to get involved, which will contribute to the overall goal.”

The Burnley FC in the Community Foodbank can be found in Charter Walk’s Market Square above New Look. They share the space, referred to as Downtown, with Burnley Community Grocery, Burnley Together, and Burnley Leisure.

Manager Nathan Norris, who gave Max a tour of the facility earlier this week, said: “We’re more than just a food bank, we’re a distribution hub as well. We supply bread, cereal, all the items you need for a food parcel to food charities and food banks across Burnley, Padiham and Pendle, and then they distribute it to people in need.

"We’re heavily reliant on donations, and unfortunately, there’s been a big drop in recent months. We put that down to the cost; even we’re feeling the cost of items. For example, a pallet of milk that used to cost £350, is now costing anywhere between £700 and £800. The cost of everything has just gone up so much, and if food banks are struggling to buy pallets of food, then the general public are going to be facing the same struggle.

"We’re fortunate that we have brands like Warburtons and Kellogg’s who donate items to us. Kellogg’s donates three pallets a week to us, which is extraordinary. The monetary value of this can be anywhere between £27k and £30k a year. And Warburtons, they help us out with our Breakfast Club initiative. Without these partners, we would really struggle. I would personally like to thank Kellogg’s, Warburtons, Burnley Council and all the partners at downtown for their continued support. And, of course, Max.

"We’re so happy Max got in touch. He contacted me a few weeks ago, with an idea around doing a UK tour that involved visiting football clubs. We’re looking at doing an event in November where we’ll encourage people to help fill the Fanzone with donations. We want to make it one of the biggest food donating days in the country if possible.

Follow @BFCitCKitchen on Twitter or @mealswithmax on Instagram or TikTok for all the latest updates.