Yerry Mina says he is proud to represent a football club that “shares the same principles as myself” as he thanked Evertonians' warmth for making him so happy on Merseyside.

Speaking exclusively to evertontv, Mina also outlined how his charity in Colombia has stepped up efforts to help those in need during this unprecedented time and how his upbringing has shaped his desire to help others.

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In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Everton launched the Blue Family campaign – a coordinated outreach initiative to support vulnerable and isolated individuals.

Everton players, staff and ambassadors have made thousands of phone calls to fans to lift spirits and check on their wellbeing as part of a significant collective effort. Everton in the Community has also arranged food hampers and prescriptions to be delivered to those in need, while providing financial support to other charitable projects across Merseyside.

Blues defender Mina explained how the Club’s community roots mirror his own social values.

“For me, it’s just fantastic to be here because the Club shares the same principles that I have myself, which is wanting to help others,” he told evertontv.

“I’m always going to be available to help people, especially so in situations as serious as the one we are living through at the moment.

“I’m proud to be at Everton because I have seen, ever since I arrived, they are always helping out and they are always doing something for local people so that they can be well and have a smile on their face.

“The Club does a lot of work in order for them to change their way of life, have access to the important things they yearn for and can work to achieve them.

“So, I am very happy to be here, and I thank the Club for everything they do.”

Mina joined Everton from La Liga giants Barcelona in 2018 and was closing in on a half-century of first-team appearances for the Blues before football was suspended.

He credits the warmth of Evertonians and the Club’s welcoming atmosphere for his speedy adaptation to life on Merseyside.

And he is confident the ambitious, challenging environment at Everton will help raise his game to new heights.

“You show your feelings in your demeanour and your facial expressions and you can see that [at Everton] I feel good in myself and I’m very happy,” he said.

“I’d like to thank every one of the supporters and all the staff working at the Club from the highest level all the way through the different departments, so they know I appreciate them and I hold them close to my heart for the way they have treated me.

“I’m very happy, these two years have flown by.

“Right now, I’m having a marvellous time at a club where I’m wanting to learn and improve every day and to enjoy myself, which is the key.”

Mina’s foundation in his birthplace of Guachené, Colombia has been donating food parcels and other essential items to help people during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Everton defender established the Yerry Mina Foundation in the region in 2016 to provide sport and education opportunities for the city’s youngsters.

The centre-back detailed how, during these uncertain times, the charity has focused on purchasing and delivering critical goods for those most affected.

“We are working hard in the foundation to distribute food and provisions,” said Mina, Everton’s PFA Community Champion for 2018/19.

“There are lots of people who haven’t got access to food and struggle to eat.

“So, we’re doing everything we can to do our little bit so that, altogether, we can overcome all what is happening.

“This situation has managed to bring the world to a halt in a sense so we’re all working really hard at the foundation so people might feel a bit more reassured, most of all in Guachené.

“Then, as we move out of the immediate area of Guachené itself, we will try to get further out to the surrounding districts, too.”

Mina added his faith and the ethics ingrained during childhood have driven his charitable efforts.

He said: “I’ve always had this desire to help and I know people are having a bad time of things at the moment, so I like to give something of what I have.

“I think it’s because it is born within me and in my heart to help others.

“I don’t like to just keep the things that God has gifted me with all to myself. I like sharing what I have with other people.

“I know times are tough so I have to try to do a lot of different things [to help others] because, in the end, we cannot take anything with us.

“You have to try to do things, so later on you’re not left with any feeling of regret that you could have done something more to help.”