Returning Nuno Espirito Santo reflects on remarkable £250,000 Wolves gesture
Nuno Espirito Santo created countless memories on the field during his four years in charge of Wolves.
But his remarkable generosity off it arguably left the most important and lasting legacy.
In January 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Portuguese boss donated £250,000 to the club’s Feed Our Pack initiative, aimed at tackling food poverty in the city.
Now four years on, as he prepares to make his return to Molineux in charge of Nottingham Forest, Nuno has spoken again about his extraordinary gesture and says he knows the money he gifted has been well-spent.
He said: “I’ve been back and contacted the person responsible for it - we made sure that food got to the right people, the ones who needed it.
“It was needed. It was required at that moment. People were in a bad place, they were struggling.”
Feed Our Pack was launched by the Wolves Foundation thanks to a £250,000 grant from the Premier League PFA Community Fund, which was then personally matched by Nuno taking the total to £500,000.
More than 5,500 food parcels were delivered to primary schools across the city and 133 tonnes of food distributed to the Wolves Foodbank network. The initiative also set up activity camps providing free breakfast and lunch to support children during the school holidays.
Nuno was open about his own difficulties during the pandemic, when he spent a long time apart from his family.
He continued: “Now, we have the ability to forget. But it was a tough time.
“People have said ‘Thank you,’ of course.
“But people I know - I have a group of friends in Wolverhampton that I still play golf with every year - they have told me how much it meant.
“I appreciate it.”
The 50-year-old remains an iconic figure in Wolverhampton and is guaranteed a warm reception at Molineux having transformed Wolves from a mid-table Championship club to a Premier League force.
He said: “I remember my time there perfectly.
“I will have those memories forever. We had four seasons there. It’s a long time and we shared a lot of things. For me, it’s going to be emotional, of course.”
