‘Duty of care’: Hackney Foodbank urges community to help fund holiday lunches for children in poverty

A family who are using the lunch club. Photograph: Gianluca Urdiroz Agati / Hackney Foodbank

Hackney Foodbank is asking residents to spare at least £10 to fund holiday lunches for children in need.

The charity runs the lunch club every year, and in 2022 provided 500 meals over the summer break.

Demand is expected to be considerably higher in the coming weeks.

Pat Fitzsimons, the Foodbank’s CEO, said: “Many of the children we see at our annual holiday club are malnourished. Forty-five per cent of children in Hackney live in poverty and it’s a sad fact that many parents struggle to provide three meals a day during the holidays.

“Free school meals are a lifeline in term-time but without charities like ours, children will go hungry during the holidays and that has real impacts on their development and wellbeing.

“While so many families are planning lovely summer holidays, others are struggling to fund even the basics. Wages have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living; food, rents and energy bills have all increased hugely.

“Many of our visitors are working people who simply don’t earn enough to manage. We have a duty of care to ensure children in our community have enough to eat.

“I would urge anyone who can to sponsor our summer lunch club. Ten pounds can fund lunch for one child for a week.”

Food and drink prices in the UK rose by 19.2 per cent in the year to March 2023 – the highest rate in over 45 years.

Every week, Hackney Foodbank is providing food for around 650 people who have been referred through a range of agencies.

Anyone who has been referred for this year’s lunch club this year will be offered vouchers that enable them to choose meals for their children from local stores. This is designed to give people the freedom to choose food that meets their dietary or cultural needs.

To contribute towards the cost of holiday lunches, visit donorbox.org/lunch-club-2023.