Kind-hearted Norwich fans have boosted the coffers of Norfolk's foodbanks to the tune of nearly £3,000 after a collection at Carrow Road.

Canaries supporters chipped in £2,700 at the Premier League match against Hull City on Saturday with their generosity improved by their struggling team's last-gasp 1-0 victory.

Foodbank bosses say the cash will be added to the money donated during the Eastern Daily Press's Christmas foodbank campaign, and the total – some £5,200 – split between the nine foodbanks in Norfolk, Waveney and Fenland.

Grant Habershon, project manager of Norwich Foodbank, said: 'We had 43 wonderful volunteers on Saturday, most from local rotary clubs and the organisation of the day was done by Philip Young of Norwich St Edmund Rotary Club.

'The weather was good to us and both sets of supporters were great with many Hull fans very willing to donate to our cause.

'We received £2,700 in the collection – a wonderful response.'

The money collected at the match will be enough to buy three days of emergency rations for more than 200 people.

The EDP's Christmas appeal saw 14 tonnes of food donated by people in December - more than doubling the average monthly donations for the charity.

As a result, the foodbank's warehouse is well stocked now, but demand is expected to grow over the coming year.

Mr Habershon said the cash would be used to buy specific food items as and when they were needed, so that people in need could continue to receive the crisis food parcels.

The boxes are handed out to people in crisis, who are referred to the foodbank by authorised and qualified partner agencies.

Norwich Foodbank, the largest in the region, fed 8,000 people last year and expects to feed 10,000 in 2014.

There are also foodbanks in Cromer, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Dereham, Thetford, Diss, Lowestoft and Wisbech.