‘Real lifeline’: Hackney Foodbank awarded £20k to help families during the summer holidays

Hackney Foodbank boss Pat Fitzsimons. Photograph: Hackney Foodbank

Hackney Foodbank has been thrown a £20,000 funding “lifeline” to help it feed children during the school holidays.

The cash was awarded to the charity’s Lunch Support Scheme by the National Lottery and will go towards providing supermarket vouchers for struggling families.

Pat Fitzsimons, the Foodbanks CEO, said: “The number of children supported by Hackney Foodbank has more than doubled in the past two years and the school holidays bring real pressures for those experiencing food poverty.

“For many parents, the added cost of having to provide lunch for children when they’re out of school is more than they can manage.

“This funding from the Lottery is a real lifeline – it will enable us to provide parents of school-aged children with supermarket vouchers, so children have enough to eat during the holidays.”

The Foodbank has also produced a ‘Summer in the City’ guide that lists free activities for families to enjoy in London over the holidays. It includes swimming venues, farms, museums, events, and much more.

Fitzsimons added: “Trying to keep the kids entertained in the school holidays can be a challenge, particularly on a tight budget, so our team have come up with a brilliant list of what’s on for free this summer.”

The number of children supported by the Foodbank more than doubled between 2022 and 2023.

Between January 2022 and January 2024, food prices in the UK increased by an average of 25 per cent and household energy bills have also risen sharply.

Hackney Foodbank has distribution centres in Dalston, Hoxton, Clapton, Stoke Newington and Haggerston, as well as a mobile food bank that runs for five days a week.

To find out more, visit hackney.foodbank.org.uk.