Football fans are being asked to support the 'School's Out for Summer' project - a Mansfield community project tackles child poverty by providing children with free school uniforms.
They are being asked to donate good, used school uniforms and school shoes at a donation point set up on matchdays at Mansfield Town FC's family room under the Quarry Lane Stand.
The club's collaboration with the project kicked off this week when they played Leyton Orient (on August 20) at the One Call Stadium.
The aim of the project is to make sure parents do not struggle to provide their children with uniforms ahead of the new school year starting in September.
Mansfield Town FC operations director, Tina Broughton, said: "It is estimated that over 6,000 children in the Mansfield area are currently living in poverty. This is an unacceptable amount, and we as a club would like to help in any way we can.
"We are hugely grateful to any supporter that wishes to donate school uniform's in good condition that can be passed on to the School's Out For Summer project - it doesn't matter whether the uniform has been previously worn or not.
"Any supporter wishing to donate school uniform can do so in our family room on matchdays, which opens from 1.30pm on Saturdays or 6.30pm for midweek matches."
The Stags will be helping School's Out for Summer provide school uniforms to those needing them around Mansfield.
The project works with the Sharewear Project - a scheme in Nottinghamshire that provides emergency clothing, shoes and beeding - to provide new or nearly new uniforms.
Sonya Ward, a volunteer with School's Out for Summer and prospective Labour parliamentary candidate for Mansfield, said: “I’d like to thank Mansfield Town FC, who along with numerous other local organisations, businesses, and the massively kind people of Mansfield, have come together to support School’s Out For Summer.
“We know that as many as 6,000 children in Mansfield may experience holiday hunger, and the same families are also often hit hard by the cost of new school uniform in September.
“Big changes are needed to address the causes of increasing childhood poverty - however in the meantime we’re not prepared to stand by and do nothing, and it’s heartening that so many in our community have supported this project.”
The project also accepts donations of non-perishable food and vouchers.
