Food Charity Providing Over 70,000 Meals To Yorkshire Children At Risk Of Hunger This Summer

A Yorkshire food charity will provide an anticipated 72,859 meals to children at risk of hunger by the end of the school summer holiday – more than double the number of meals provided last year.

FareShare Yorkshire, a regional branch of the UK’s biggest surplus food redistribution charity, is providing healthy and nutritious surplus food to 51 holiday projects this summer and estimates that at least 3,000 children in the region will access meals at these projects.

The food provision comes as part of FareShare’s ActiveAte campaign, which aims to raise awareness of children at risk of hunger when schools break up and the safety net of free school meals is removed.

Holiday projects receiving food also provide activities such as sport, drama and cooking lessons to ensure children are kept well fed and active – so they are able to return to school in September healthy and ready to learn.

With an estimated three million children at risk of going hungry over the school holidays, the ActiveAte campaign was launched to appeal to the public for donations during this time of additional activity. For as little as £7, donors can enable FareShare to provide 28 nutritious meals for children at a holiday project.

Gareth Batty, Chief Executive at FareShare Yorkshire, said:
“For parents of children who normally receive free school meals, the summer can be a really difficult time - with the strain of added food costs, activities and childcare leaving many families struggling to provide food.

“ActiveAte is our campaign to address this issue across Yorkshire, and this year’s food volume in comparison to last year demonstrate the glaring need for enhanced food provision in our communities over the summer.

“With the support of our food partners, we’re grateful we’re able to support more frontline holiday projects than before, but in order to ensure no child goes hungry, we are appealing to the public for donations. Just £7 can have a real, tangible impact - providing 28 meals for children at a holiday project.”

Organisations such as Dance Action Zone Leeds (DAZL) – which teaches dance to children during the holiday months - receive deliveries of nutritious food from FareShare Yorkshire.

Ian Rodley, of DAZL, said:
“At our creative camps we provide up to 70 children with a healthy cooked breakfast and lunch each day. It’s really important that we receive ingredients from FareShare so we can not only provide these meals but also make them varied and nutritious, so children make healthier choices at home. Without FareShare we would not be able to provide this service.”

To find out more and donate to FareShare’s ActiveAte campaign, visit www.fareshareyorkshire.org