Cardiff family launches Christmas fundraising drive for local foodbank

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Public LifeUncategorised
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Wild Thing Foods, run by father and daughter duo Johnathan and Sophie Williams, is raising money for Cardiff Foodbank with takeaway curries and Christmas dinners

Sophie and Johnathan Williams from Cardiff in ice hockey jerseys
As a keen chef, Johnathan handles most of the cooking, while Sophie runs Wild Thing Foods’ social media accounts. Credit: Sophie Williams

A father and daughter team from Cardiff have launched a fundraising drive to raise money for their local foodbank.

Wild Thing Foods, run by Johnathan and Sophie Williams from Llanishen and Thornhill, is selling takeaway curries in the run up to Christmas, with all profits going towards Cardiff Foodbank. 

It gave us something to look forward to, to bring about positivity around this time of year when it’s easy to be a bit selfish

The campaign has so far had two successful weekends of takeaways, having sold out by Tuesday and Thursday in the first and second weeks, respectively. They were inspired by England footballer Marcus Rashford’s drive to extend free school meals for eligible children during school holidays, Sophie said.

“When the news struck, it hit home even harder for him and he wanted to take some action,” she said. Johnathan’s family didn’t have a lot of money growing up, he said, so he knew what it was like to struggle. 

“This was a way to give back to people who are less fortunate than ourselves,” he said, adding that, “It gave us something to look forward to, to put a lot of energy into and hopefully bring about positivity around this time of year when it’s easy to be a bit selfish.”

Keeping the customer satisfied

Johnathan was keen to support Cardiff Foodbank but was also aware that they get many food donations around Christmas time, he said. 

They still needed to employ staff and transport food around, so they need money too, he said. This way, he added, people weren’t just making a donation and “getting nothing for it.”

Wild Thing Foods is also offering Christmas dinner takeaways and plan to give up some time on Christmas Day to deliver to vulnerable people in Cardiff, Sophie said. 

“If there’s any way that we can go around and deliver some portions with some warm gravy, that’s what we want to do on Christmas Day,” she said.

Meat and vegetarian thalis from Wild Thing Foods:
  • Tupperware boxes containing takeaway curry to raise money for Cardiff Foodbank
    Onion bhajis and rice
  • Tupperware boxes containing takeaway curry to raise money for Cardiff Foodbank
    Saag paneer, chickpea chana masala and lentil dahl
  • Tupperware boxes containing takeaway curry to raise money for Cardiff Foodbank
    Chicken madras, chicken and mushroom balti and mushroom balti
Trussell Trust data on rise of foodbanks in Wales
Foodbank use has risen significantly over the last few financial years