This week was the 100th<\/sup> anniversary of the death (it\u2019s the 17th<\/sup> of April) of Brother Walfrid, the Marist priest integral in the formation of Celtic football club in 1887. Born in County Sligo on the west of Ireland, Walfrid moved to the east end of Glasgow to teach at Sacred Heart and then St Mary\u2019s schools, both a very short walk to Celtic Park.<\/p>\n Since the 1840\u2019s, Glasgow was a city many from Ireland of all faiths made their way to escape starvation and extreme poverty. It was easier to access due to its location but also the potential work opportunities were greater due to the city\u2019s importance at the time in the industrial revolution. With a mass increase in immigrants, came demand for catholic churches and schooling, thus leading Walfrid to Glasgow\u2019s east end to support the local community.<\/p>\n Conditions were appalling with many struggling to eat. Walfrid with the support of many others decided to do something about this and created Celtic Football Club.<\/p>\n On a cold November night in 1887 a hand-written note was passed around those needing most support in the local area. Written by Brother Walfrid it said:<\/p>\n \u201cA football club will be formed for the maintenance of dinner tables for the children and the unemployed\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n If you are reading Walfrid\u2019s words for the first time how wonderfully inspiring are they? A football club was setup as its number one priority to feed starving people. Morally, ethically and for sheer old good human decency it just doesn\u2019t get any better than that.<\/p>\n And so to Wednesday night.<\/p>\n The Celtic Foundation run by Tony Hamilton, one of the good guys, were in talks with some Celtic supporters looking at what could be done by the fans to mark the occasion. Another quality person by the name of Jim Blyth started phoning, e-mailing, contacting fellow supporters asking what they thought about running a foodbank collection to commemorate the event, bearing in mind the scandalous and shameful rise in starving families 127 years after Walfrid started Celtic football club.<\/p>\n Jim put the feelers out to many people and was given terrific support by Tara (who runs Glasgow North East foodbank) and many only too willing to help. Jim first spoke to me about this on the night of the Kano foundation (an incredible group of people) event a few weeks back. I thought it was a terrific and yet humbling idea. What better way for the Celtic supporters to celebrate Walfrid than to follow in his giant steps and donate food to those desperately needing support? Jim set the wheels in motion and shared an image with some fine words of the upcoming collection with the wider online community including many forums and websites asking for support.<\/p>\n I arrived with my daughter quite early. By this time hundreds of bags full of food had been dropped off and there was still almost two hours to kick off! A little later Celtic manager Ronny Deila and club captain Scott Brown arrived and donated bags of food while having their photo taken in front of Walfrid\u2019s statue that sits immediately outside the entrance to Celtic Park. A symbolic moment.<\/p>\n![\"CP](\"https:\/\/etims.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/CP-Foodbank-3-e1429220023546.jpg\")
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