Athletes lend a helping hand to stock food bank in Birmingham.
Members of the Jamaican Rugby 7s team, whose efforts to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games were thwarted by the Covid pandemic and whose ranks include Olympic medal winning 200m sprinter Warren Weir have been volunteering their services packing care parcels destined for food banks and community organisations in Birmingham.
The team’s sponsor, Tropical Sun Foods, who have supported several food banks since the start of the pandemic, recruited some 
of the Jamaica Rugby 7s players to put together parcels headed to Birmingham’s Villa Cross Soup Kitchen in Lozells and Birmingham Care Group’s Project Food initiative.
The team’s winger, Matthew Wilson, who is also a member of Jamaica’s Bobsleigh team, was one of the first players to offer pack parcels containing callaloo, jerk seasoning, rice and other Caribbean household essentials.
Matthew Wilson said: “As a proud Jamaican, I’m beyond excited to be represent Jamaica in both rugby and bobsleigh. I have experienced so much good luck in this life and I am truly grateful to be able to give back in this small way.”
Tropical Sun Head of Community, Paul Harrison said: “Over the course of the pandemic, we’ve heard from food banks, local councils and community organisations across the UK looking for international foods to cater to their ethnically diverse populations. As a company that offers food from upwards of 35 countries worldwide, we’ve been able to provide support that helps communities to preserve their food cultures, sustain their mental and physical health and help them transition back to prosperity.”
