FareShare, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity, has launched ActiveAte, a nationwide holiday hunger campaign providing meals for children at risk of food poverty this summer – and is calling on the food industry to help it meet the demand.
As many as one in four UK children now live in poverty, of which three million are at risk of going hungry over the school holidays. With the safety net of free school meals no longer in place, the holidays often intensify poverty among low income families. Extra childcare, food and activities costs can be a real strain on families – with children in some cases returning to school malnourished, tired and unable to learn.
ActiveAte will see FareShare work with over 200 community groups across the UK to provide balanced, nutritious meals for up to 20,000 children and families in the UK.
FareShare is particularly supporting projects which will provide free food and activities including sport, to ensure that children keep active and enjoy their summer holidays on a full stomach, ready to return to school in September happy and healthy.
FareShare Chief Executive Lindsay Boswell said: “The summer holidays should be a carefree time for young people, presenting an opportunity for them to have new experiences and develop social skills. Yet without the food provided by school breakfast and lunch clubs, unfortunately many families face a period of struggle with children at risk of hunger, isolation and inactivity.
“Our nationwide ActiveAte campaign will support the work of over 200 frontline charities across the UK which work with children and young people. These charities will receive regular deliveries of nutritious food from FareShare – but we always need more food.”
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