Food Banks : School Holidays Approaching And Beyond : A Timely Reminder ! As Carers WE Care ... Don't We ?

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A somewhat unique " Campaign " for the forum.

A CAMPAIGN THAT WILL DELIVER !!!


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Those who have been following the main FOOD BANK thread will need no reminding … nationwide , the 4,000+ food banks
are constantly running low on all sorts of supplies … nowadays , food is only one consideration … clothes / shoes catching
up fast.

( 100,000+ of our fellow carers needed a food bank parcel in the last calender year … how long before we hit 200,000 ??? )

( By all means , BLAME the parents but … NOT the children !!! )

More than 4 million children … the true innocent victims … need all the help they can to " Survive " over the forthcoming school holidays … some schools will be providing breakfast clubs but not all.

Want to donate and don’t know how ?

EITHER ASK ME ON THIS THREAD OR follow the following links :

Trussells … Ways to Donate :

Ways to Give - The Trussell Trust

Frequently asked questions :

Donations FAQ - The Trussell Trust

Monies are tight … even so , a couple of cans from a third of the Carer army ???

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**Call for donations as charity reveals rise in food for children is behind increased foodbank need during holidays.

_An increase in demand for emergency food for children drove increased foodbank need during the summer holidays last year, new data published by anti-poverty charity The Trussell Trust shows today.

Last year the number of supplies given to adults decreased slightly in the summer months, whereas the level of support needed for children was markedly higher: during July and August 2017, The Trussell Trust’s network of over 420 foodbanks provided over 204,525 three day emergency supplies, 74,011 of which went to children. In comparison, during May and June 2017 70,510 supplies went to children.*

Over a third of all food distributed by the foodbank network throughout the year goes to children, but there is extra financial pressure to provide main meals during the school holidays for families who rely on free school meals during term time. Last year’s report from The All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger estimated the loss of free school meals during the holidays adds between £30 and £40 a week to parents’ outgoings._





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Food banks needed in Scotland to help children this summer.
Food parcels handed out to children in Scotland rose by more than a fifth last summer, according to new figures.

The Trussell Trust, which runs 135 food banks across Scotland, said 6,551 parcels - with three days worth of food - were given to children in Scotland during the summer holidays last year.

That’s a 21% increase on the number of food parcels given out during the previous summer.

Food banks help many children whose family can’t always afford things. For those families, food banks are really helpful to make sure children and adults eat properly. >




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**Emergency food parcels for Northern Ireland children rose by 8% last summer.
__> _The number of emergency food parcels issued to children in Northern Ireland has increased, a charity has said.

A total of 1,758 packages were given to young people here during the 2018 school summer holidays - a 7.7% rise on the same period in 2017.

The number of food parcels issued to adults in this two-month period rose by 8.7% - from 2,524 to 2,743 - year on year.

The figures are disclosed in a report by The Trussell Trust, a UK-wide network of food bank centres that provides emergency food and support to people locked in poverty. The charity has urged people to donate food to their local food bank.

Dave Magill, operations manager for Northern Ireland at the Trussell Trust, said more than a third of all food distributed by food banks in its network here goes to children, with extra financial pressure during the holidays for families entitled to free school meals during term time._**

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**Holiday hunger looms as foodbank use expected to soar.

The scandalous phenomena of holiday hunger drives increasing foodbank use as families struggle to feed kids.**

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Foodbank operators fear they may have to give out a record number of emergency food parcels this summer.

The Trussell Trust has revealed that it distributed 6,551 parcels during last year’s summer holidays – a 21% increase over the previous year.

And the charity – which operates 135 foodbanks across Scotland – fears demand may rise again this summer, as overall foodbank use in Scotland rose by 23% in 2018-19.

A major driver over the summer period is the phenomena of ‘holiday hunger’, when families who qualify for free school meals struggle to feed their children over the holidays.

Ahead of schools breaking up this week, the Trussell Trust is urging people check what items their local foodbank is most in need of.

While these donations are vital for helping families during the next six weeks, the charity has stressed foodbanks are not a long-term solution, and more must be done to ensure people have enough money for essentials like food.

It believes tackling delays and gaps in benefits, which affect families’ ability to afford essentials, should be treated as a priority by the Scottish and UK governments. The most immediate relief for thousands of people would be to end the five week wait for a first Universal Credit payment, a key driver of increased need at foodbanks in the charity’s network.

Laura Ferguson, Operations Manager for Scotland at the Trussell Trust, said: “No charity can replace the dignity of having enough money for the basics. But more and more families across Scotland are struggling to make ends meet, unable to afford food and facing hunger as a result. This isn’t right.

“Foodbanks do all they can to help families over the summer, with many running holiday clubs to support parents who find that their income simply won’t stretch to meet the extra pressure of missing free school meals or paying for extra childcare during the holidays.

“But ultimately, we should all be protected from needing a food bank’s help, no matter the time of the year. If we are to end hunger in Scotland, we need to make sure everyone is anchored from being swept into poverty. Governments need to ensure benefit payments reflect the true cost of living and work is secure, paying the real living wage, which would help eliminate the need for a food bank parcel altogether.

“While it’s great to see the Scottish Government pledging to tackle holiday hunger, food banks and other emergency food provision cannot, and must not, be a long term to solution to poverty.”

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**Holiday hunger looms as foodbank use expected to soar.

The scandalous phenomena of holiday hunger drives increasing foodbank use as families struggle to feed kids.**


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Foodbank operators fear they may have to give out a record number of emergency food parcels this summer.

The Trussell Trust has revealed that it distributed 6,551 parcels during last year’s summer holidays – a 21% increase over the previous year.

And the charity – which operates 135 foodbanks across Scotland – fears demand may rise again this summer, as overall foodbank use in Scotland rose by 23% in 2018-19.

A major driver over the summer period is the phenomena of " > Holiday Hunger > ", when families who qualify for free school meals struggle to feed their children over the holidays


" Phenomena " … now mainstream , squire !!!

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**Asda kicks off week-long holiday hunger food bank collection drive.

Shoppers are being encouraged to donate in-demand items to their local food bank in a trolley at the front of the store.**

**_The retailer said that every summer food banks in The Trussell Trust’s network reported an increase in demand for emergency food for children, due to the extra financial pressure put on families who rely on free school meals.

According to figures from the charity, 1.6 million emergency food parcels were distributed, marking a 19% rise year on year. It is expected that this trend will continue into the summer._**

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**Devon Foodbanks bracing for school holidays.

Foodbanks across Devon are expecting a surge in food bank use during the summer holidays.**


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**_Last year The Trussell Trust’s Exeter Foodbank saw the number of people needing food aid increase by around fifty percent during the holidays, with a “noticeable increase” in families with children using the service.

Expensive childcare is thought to be a major factor in squeezing the budgets of low income families. In addition to added financial pressure the lack of free school meals normally provided during term time is also thought to be putting pressure on demand. Last year, Exeter Foodbank saw the distribution of their emergency food parcels increase substantially during the summer holidays.

Last year, three weeks before the school holidays began, an average of 95 people per week received food packages from The Trussell Trust in Exeter. During the holidays that figure increased to 148. One week during the holidays even saw a record-breaking week with 187 people being served, almost double the average.

Nationally, during July and August 2017, The Trussell Trust foodbanks provided over 204,525 three day emergency parcels, 74,011 of which went to children. In comparison, during May and June 2017 70,510 supplies went to children.
[u]In a statement The Trussell Trust said: “One of the main reasons is that children who normally have free school meals don’t get them during the holidays.

‘Factor in additional child care costs if parents are working and it’s easy to imagine how families might struggle.

‘To complicate matters, recent research by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) suggests that low-earning parents working full-time are still unable to earn enough to provide their family with a basic, no- frills lifestyle. A couple with two children would be £49 a week short of the income needed,” the charity said.

Whilst increased costs for childcare and a lack of free school meals are a major factor, the controversial rollout of the Universal Credit scheme is still thought to be contributing to the increase.[/u]

The news comes as it was recently revealed that Devon’s Citizens Advice Bureau has seen a sharp increase in demand in West, Central and North Devon.

The Citizens Advice catchment areas of Torridge, Mid and West Devon saw a 47% increase in demand. In the year ending March 2019, advisors dealt with just under 10,000 new cases, almost a third of which came from the Okehampton area._** >

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**Food bank use among children over school holidays surges by 20% in a year, figures show.

‘I want to go back to work. I’m not one of those mums who wants to stay at home. I want to work,’ says single mother at food bank in Epsom, who is unable to earn a living due to lack of free childcare places.**

Food bank use among children over school holidays surges by 20% in a year, figures show | The Independent | The Independent

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**Britain’s biggest food bank charity urges government action as it predicts " Busiest summer ever. "

A major foodbank charity has urged ministers to do more to tackle poverty in Britain as it predicted its “ Busiest summer ” yet in foodbank handouts.**

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**Teachers to open school during holidays as food banks fear worst ever summer for " Holiday hunger. "

Green Gates Primary School is running a pilot summer club with the help of local charities to keep pupils full and safe.**


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**_Teachers from a primary school will be coming in over the summer holidays in a bid to keep children safe and fed.

Green Gates Primary School in Redcar will be open for two weeks of the summer break offering a haven for youngsters.

Sessions are completely free of charge to all pupils and will see children catching up with their friends with a nutritious lunch and activities thrown in.

The idea has been drawn up by Green Gates headteacher Katie Lowe and will help curb the concern of ‘holiday hunger’ which has been a growing issue in recent years.

“School holidays can be a hard time for parents - the cost of childcare is out of reach for lots of parents and holidays are really expensive especially at this time of year,” said Mrs Lowe, who took over as head a year ago.

“Adding that to the cost of providing meals and snacks throughout the day - when the children normally get this at school - can be hard.”

It comes as the Trussell Trust network of food banks warns that this summer is likely to be its busiest yet.

Youngsters at Green Gates will be served up a healthy lunch and can take part in a range of activities, from arts and crafts and drama to active fun with yoga.

The project was originally planned to last a week, offering 30 places to pupils with two staff, but after securing a £1,000 grant from the Greggs Foundation and a £450 donation from the Teesside Philanthropic Foundation, the school has room for more than 80 children.

“We had an amazing response of interest from parents so I decided to increase it to two weeks,” said Mrs Lowe, who was once a Greens Gate primary school pupil herself.

"I made the decision that I would not turn any children away so had to ask for more staff volunteers to help out.

“We as a community feel there’s not much to do in the area and there is a obvious concern for anti-social behaviour - many parents worry about their children being safe and I want to take these worries away.”

“My aim is to do this every year and who knows, next year, I might be able to open up for the whole summer… If I get the help of the community of Redcar.”\




Figures show that one in eight primary school children struggle during the holidays due to families not having resources to feed them sufficiently.

The Trussell Trust is urging the public to donate to their local food bank, as new figures show 87,496 food parcels went to children in the UK during the summer holidays in 2018, a 20% increase on the same period in 2017.
Over a third of all emergency food parcels distributed by food banks in the Trussell Trust’s UK-wide network go to children, but there is extra financial pressure during the holiday period for families who are entitled to free school meals during term time.

While donations are vital for helping families during the next six weeks, the charity has stressed food banks are not a long-term solution, and more must be done to ensure people have enough money for essentials like food.

The Trussell Trust believes tackling delays and gaps in benefits, which affect families’ ability to afford essentials, should be treated as a priority by the Government. The most immediate relief for thousands of people would be to end the five week wait for a first Universal Credit payment, a key driver of need at food banks in the charity’s network._**

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**Fife foodbanks appeal for summer holiday help.

Two north east Fife foodbanks have appealed for donations to help support local families over the school holidays.**


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It follows a warning from the Trussell Trust that foodbanks across the UK are fearing their busiest summer ever, as use continues to rise.

It noted a 20 per cent increase in emergency food parcels for children in summer 2018, compared to the year before, and warned another rise is expected.

Both Cupar and Tay Bridgehead foodbanks noted a rise in use over previous school holidays.

Cupar Foodbank gave out 547.45 kilos in food more than it took in donations back in April, which centre manager Joe Preece said he believes was a result of the Easter break.

“We saw a 25 per cent rise from the previous April,” he added. “April was absolutely shocking. I noticed a vast difference.”

However, Mr Preece did say he felt Fife Council’s Cafe Inc scheme, which is providing free lunches in Fife during the holidays, has helped keep usage levels around the same as last summer.

Meanwhile, Tay Bridgehead is now supporting nine extra families over the school holidays. It is currently helping around 40 people every week, providing around 12-14 food parcels and 40 bags of food.

Muriel McNaughton, foodbank manager, said: “We always have extra families, especially those with children who get free school meals.

“We’re up on last year. We never had 19 parcels going out per week – we have this year. Donations are always welcome, especially over the summer.”

Cupar Foodbank is appealing for tinned foods, but not soup or beans.

Donations for Cupar Foodbank can be dropped off at the Tesco store on South Road.

Collection points for the Tay Bridgehead Foodbank are Tayport Library, Manna in Newport, and the Spar in Wormit. >

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**Food banks scramble to stop a million children going hungry over holidays.

More families turn to food parcels to make up for loss of free school meals, extra childcare costs and benefit payment delays.**


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**_Church and community food banks are preparing for their busiest summer yet, providing meals for children during the school holidays as an increasing number of families struggle with delays in benefit payments.

The Trussell Trust, which supports more than 1,200 food banks, many based in churches, said demand over the next few weeks could exceed last year’s record of 87,496 food parcels during the summer holidays. The 2018 figure was a 20% increase on the same period the previous year.

Emma Revie, chief executive of the trust, said: “Food banks will do all they can to help families over the summer, with many running holiday clubs to support parents who find their income simply won’t stretch to meet the extra pressure of missing free school meals or paying for additional childcare during the holidays.”

The biggest increases between 2017 and 2018 were seen in the north-east and London, where the number of food parcels distributed in the summer holidays rose by 26.3% and 25.8% respectively. A parliamentary report two years ago estimated that the loss of free school meals over the school holidays added £30 to £40 per week to household outgoings, and that more than 1 million children were at risk of going hungry.

The problem has been made worse by the erosion of benefits year on year, the five-week delay before people claiming universal credit get their first payment, and the difficulties of finding money for extra childcare costs, according to Paul Morrison, policy adviser at the Methodist church. > “Holidays should be a time for families to relax and enjoy time together,” he said. “But for the families of over 1 million children, the long summer holiday means a struggle to afford the basics, and increased isolation.

“I regularly meet parents for whom the long school holiday means they must skip meals to ensure their children have enough. It’s not right that this can happen in Britain today.”

Darlington Methodist Circuit, which has run a school holiday project, Make Lunch, for four years, has seen rising numbers. It supports up to 120 children and their families over the school holidays. “We’re making a difference to children who would miss meals, to parents who might not get food as they prioritise the kids, and to families who need to make difficult financial decisions in the holidays,” said Morvyn Sanderson, children and young people’s worker.

At the South London Mission, director Janet Corlett said: “Destitution is creeping up on people. We’ve got kids with anxiety and mental health issues because their lives are insecure, and in the summer the pressures increase.”_**

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Free lunches for children over school holidays.

A charity at Stamford in Lincolnshire is offering children free lunches over the school holidays, to help families struggling with increased food bills during the summer.

‘Second Helpings’, is a food waste charity. The volunteers get regular supplies of surplus food from supermarkets. They turn them into meals and offer them on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis.

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Notts churches feeding hungry children during summer holidays.

Churches in Nottinghamshire are hosting breakfast and lunch clubs in the summer holidays to help families going hungry due to the absence of free school meals.

Lauren Simpson, assistant development worker at Transforming Notts Together, Lauren Simpson said: “ ‘Holiday hunger’ initiatives have been around for a couple of years, with the introduction of universal credit and low wages low-income families are finding it increasingly hard to find the extra money in the holiday to feed their children.

"The projects at Holy Trinity Lenton and Mansfield Baptist Church are new for this summer. And we (TNT) are planning to help churches start new projects in the October 2-week half term too.”

The Make Lunch project is a nationwide initiative offering a free hot meal to children from low income families. They work together with the schools in their communities to make sure the families that need it the most get invited.


**Plea for Leeds food bank donations as school holidays spark huge increase in demand.

Universal Credit and the summer holidays have both had a major impact of food banks.**

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**Parents skip meals to ensure children are fed in summer holidays, MPs say.

" Young people who go hungry during the break start term at disadvantage, " headteachers warn.**

Parents skip meals to ensure children are fed in summer holidays, MPs say | The Independent | The Independent

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Parents are skipping meals and surviving only on cereal during the school holidays to ensure their children are fed, MPs say.

Frank Field, chair of the work and pensions select committee, said the cross-party group of MPs have heard " Profoundly distressing " evidence from families who struggle during the summer holidays.

In a letter to education secretary Gavin Williamson and work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd, Mr Field has called for urgent action to stop children going hungry during the school break.

“ We heard about parents going without meals and surviving on cereal just to make sure their children were fed. We heard about families being plunged into debt, just to get by, ” he said.

Childcare costs and the need to buy school uniform, which can cost hundreds of pounds, further “exacerbates” the financial difficulties parents face during the holidays, the MPs found.

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Right on CUK’s own manor … London Brorough of Southwark.

Nice to learn that the leftovers from the recent Birmingham roadshow found a good home ?

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Food banks look for help preventing " Holiday hunger. "

Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Neil Coyle is appealing to News readers to donate to the food banks and charities across the borough to help stop children going hungry during the schools holidays.

Last week the Labour MP chaired the latest meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on food banks, and heard shocking statistics about the number of children going without meals after term ends.

Across the country, half a million children are reliant on charities for basic essentials.

In his constituency, Coyle has urged well-wishers to donate food, shower and sanitary products, and baby good like nappies to Southwark food bank, Pecan, and other local charities who experience surging demand throughout July and August.

“The figures from Pecan, Oasis, the Central Southwark Community Hub and other independent local foodbanks show hundreds of Southwark kids needing feeding by charities this summer,” he told the News.

“This is shocking in our capital city in one of the wealthiest nations on the planet.

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**Every day we see really hungry kids. They shouldn’t be living like this.

In England’s poorest areas, summer holiday hunger schemes are being starved of cash, leaving many children short of food.**

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/news-and-campaigns/latest-caring-news/food-energy-clothing-banks-more-a-humanitarian-thread-100-000-carers-reported-as-needing-them-in-2018-27450?start=290

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Ground zero … East Anglia … and a familiar story :


**Food banks plead for donations in bid to beat children’s holiday hunger.

More than 80,000 items have been donated to a food bank appeal to stop children in Norfolk and Suffolk from going hungry this summer.**

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The three month appeal, run by Central England Co-op, has reached its halfway point, and the chain is pleading for the region’s shoppers to continue to support its efforts.

The summer food bank appeal was launched in July this year after figures showed 37,885 children were living in child poverty in the region.

The 80,000 items donated at collection points in stores so far have supplied food banks in Norwich and Corby with enough food to create meals for over 20,000 families and youngsters this summer.

But food banks are urging people to keep donating due to a major rise in demand resulting in some coming close to running out of food.

Central England Co-op chief executive Debbie Robinson thanked donors for their generosity, but said: “Some are close to running out of vital items so we still need people to back our campaign.”

Items that can be donated include shopping basket staples from tea, sugar and cereals to other essentials such as toiletries and hygiene products.

The food is then used to create either bigger food parcels for families with children or to provide special packed lunches for projects that tackle holiday hunger during the summertime.

Holiday hunger revolves around a rise in demand from families who see the safety net of free school meals removed during the summer holidays.

This often leaves people trying to stretch their budgets in order to eat and in some cases going without proper food during the holidays.

Matthew Scade, Waveney Food Bank project manager, said: "We cannot thank people enough for their donations but we would ask for them to please continue their support during the summer to ensure that we can help children at risk of going hungry and help us cope with unprecedented demand.

“Just one item being donated at the special collection points at Central England Co-op Food Stores this summer can make a real difference to a youngster who is struggling for food and living in poverty.”

The Summer Food Bank Appeal is running until September 15, with special collection points currently in place in over 200 stores.

Central England Co-operative has permanent food bank collection points in hundreds of its stores all year, which have resulted in thousands of people every month from Birmingham to Norfolk being given enough food to cook meals.

The Society works with over 50 different food banks to provide emergency food and support to individuals and families in crisis throughout the year.

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**Pub giving 100 free meals a day to children going hungry in summer holidays.

Landlord sets up initiative amid warnings three million families are struggling to feed themselves out of term time.**

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**_A pub is to give away 100 free meals to hungry children every day for the rest of summer, in an attempt to help poor families struggling through the six-week holidays.

The hot dinners will be cooked up and dished out at the Crown Inn in Keynsham, Somerset.

The initiative is aimed at helping families who receive free school meals during term time and find themselves struggling with the extra economic burden during the elongated break.

But all parents will be able to arrive with youngsters and get the free feed – “no questions asked”.

It is the idea of landlord David Yeomans who had his lightbulb moment while donating at a foodbank last month.
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“We went to give them a load of food," he says. "And then we thought, ‘Well, we cook a load of food every day anyway, and we would be able to do meals really cheaply, because we are already set up for that’.

The first meals were given out last week, and the initiative will run until the end of the holidays, The Bristol Post reports.

It came amid warnings that parents across the country are regularly going without food themselves in a bid to feed their children during the six-week break.
Up to three million families are experiencing “holiday hunger”, parliament’s work and pensions select committee has found.

Talking about his give-away at the Crown, Mr Yeomans added: “They get a free sandwich and then at the same time, we give them a free proper cooked meal that we’ve prepared that they can take home and reheat for tea later.

“It’s for all families who need an extra hand feeding the kids. You don’t need to buy anything and we won’t ask questions.”

He said that those who had already visited tended to be parents who were in work but had found themselves caught in the trap between low wages and zero-hour contracts.

“Some of the people that have come in you can see on their faces that they are uncomfortable, because it’s not a great situation to be in,” he said. “One woman came in and was almost in tears, and she said to me, ‘You don’t know how much help this is right now, thank you’.”_**

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**UK food banks run low as demand surges in school holidays.

Organisers say donations falling during the summer, just as more families seek help.

" Down to the last few tins " : summer crisis at Preston food bank.**

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Carers " Non " Rights day is fast approaching and … true to form … both supporting organisations are seeking to raise funds , for themselves , to assist carers.

A timely reminder for all readers as to where those funds should be heading … for the direct relief of those 100,00+ who have needed food banks.

Enough said ?