Shelter’s Crystal Palace shop received an influx of clothes from the football legend and a lot of it has already been picked up off the shelf.
It was a friend of Rio Ferdinand‘s who made the trip to the shop to make the generous donation on behalf the star.
The former England and Man United captain was born in South London and has always been charitable, setting up his own foundation to address social inequality in 2012.
Sun journalist Anna Roberts, 38, from Penge in South-East London was lucky enough to stumble upon Ferdinand’s latest contribution.
She said: “I’m a real charity shop hound and had today off work.
“I was chatting to the shop’s manager and she told me a load of stuff had been donated days earlier by Rio Ferdinand.
“She explained he hadn’t come in personally but his friend had dropped off loads of stuff for them to sell.
“She said a lot of it had gone.
“Rio had signed a lot of the items and even worn some of them, which I thought was really cool. That was the stuff which went first.
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“However, there was a pretty worn looking Nike hoodie which I reckon he might have worn.”
Ferdinand, 44, donated so many items that Shelter even set up a temporary ‘Rio Rail’.
Palace fans will have the chance to drop by the shop and see if any of Ferdinand’s clothes tickle their interest tomorrow before their late game at home against Liverpool.
Roberts adds that despite the cheap prices, the selection of clothes left by Ferdinand gave her with a dilemma.
She said: “I spent ages looking for something for my boyfriend but there was a big problem – he’s a Chelsea fan and it was largely Man U memorabilia.
“In the end I settled on a Lakers baseball hat which looks pretty new. Maybe Rio was gifted it? It was only £9.99 – I think it genuinely would’ve cost more new.
“There was quite a lot left when I left. The hoodies were around £25 but nothing had been sold for more than £100.
“With so many people struggling with the cost of living and housing conditions being appalling for so many, plus soaring fuel prices, I think its brilliant Rio has quietly done this. Good for him.”
Ferdinand spends much of his time these days as a pundit and analyst for BT Sport.
Before retiring in 2015, he won six Premier League titles, the Champions League and the League Cup twice.