Bulldogs players, alumni and staff have today visited the Rev. Bill Crews Foundation to deliver and donate over $5,000.00 worth of food to their Christmas Food Appeal.
The appeal aims to help meet the needs of the poor and disadvantaged through the holiday season, and the Bulldogs with the support of Canterbury League Club have contributed a substantial amount of food (a truck's worth) that will be given away over the Christmas period to those who would otherwise go without.
Over 7,500 hampers are expected to be given to the poor and those in need this year including the homeless, and almost 52 tonnes of food will be packed into the hampers inclusive of noodles, tinned fish, biscuits as well as other items and Christmas favourites like pudding and chocolate.
"This Christmas is going to be especially tough for the increasing number of Australians living in poverty," said Rev. Bill Crews.
"Every day I see the impact of the economic slowdown and high inflation on the vulnerable - it hits them especially hard. Where they just kept their heads above water before, now they are drowning in a sea of rising prices.
"These Aussies have no hope of putting Christmas lunch on their tables but with the help of the Bulldogs and the community, we are able to help make a real difference," he said.
The Bulldogs were thrilled to be in a position to help support the Foundation, and several players were on hand at the Ashfield location to help unload the generous delivery.
"A few of us came down in our spare time to help today," said Bulldogs Harvey Norman Women's latest recruit and experienced NRLW player Kennedy Cherrington.
Cherrington was among the NRL men's and Harvey Norman Women's players from the Club who attended the Foundation alongside alumni athletes Terry Lamb and Luke Goodwin, Bulldogs Chairman John Khoury and Canterbury League Club President Peter Winchester.
"They help over 3000 people living on the streets in Sydney and it's just great to see that the Club has taken the initiative to come and help their local community. I'm really proud to be part of a club that is doing that," she said.
Kennedy also noted how great it was to see the Club bringing fulltime NRL players together with the Harvey Norman Women's side to support an initiative such as this: "I think it's really important to build that relationship coming in when the Bulldogs want to put in for the 2024 NRLW side," she said.
"I think it shows a good positive relationship and I think it's important to build together as a Club."
Goodwin, who now also leads the charge as the Harvey Norman Women's Head Coach, added that by allowing players of the Club's top female and male teams to come together that it was a great whole of club learning experience: "It's humbling and rewarding to give back to back to the local community and people who aren't doing as well as us.
"With the boys we do this a lot and it's great now that the girls are available to come along. It makes them feel part of the Club and it teaches them to be humble and to be grateful for what they have - it's what we are at the Bullodgs. So, it's great to show them what we do in the community."
