Features / Feeding Bristol
Making sure no child goes hungry over the summer holidays
Working with grassroots partner organisations, Feeding Bristol has been helping to feed the city’s disadvantaged children over the summer holidays.
Following its successful 2019 Healthy Holidays campaign, the charity launched another fundraiser for 2020.
The £20,000 fundraiser has ensured that less advantaged children and families have access to a healthy lifestyle over the summer holidays.
is needed now More than ever
14,250 children in the city are currently eligible for free school meals but only receive a supermarket voucher throughout the summer holidays, which can leave many families finding it difficult to provide healthy, balanced meals.
Feeding Bristol has used the funds raised to work with grassroots organisations to provide food resources in areas of the city with high deprivation rates, offer educational information and teaching families how to cook with their children.
Feeding Bristol have been supporting families across the city over the summer holidays. Photo: Duchess Media
In 2019, the charity with with organisations across the city to offer activities for children, and fed them a healthy meal as well.
The coronavirus pandemic has meant this was unable to happen, so Feeding Bristol and its partner organisations have been supporting families in different ways, such as helping parents feed their children nutritious meals using the free school meals vouchers and providing resources on food, activity and wellbeing education.
Having raised almost £17,000, Feeding Bristol are hoping to raise as much as possible before the summer holidays end, to ensure its work can continue for as long as possible.
So far, the charity has worked with grassroots organisations to hold almost 50 family food sessions, providing up to 20 families at a time the chance to prepare food along with a trained chef. Additionally, 750 resource packs – which include information on growing, cookery, sports, creativity and reading – have been distributed each week to families in most need.
The charity and its partners have also held hundreds of play and activity sessions for children aged between two and 12.
Hundreds of recipe books have been sent out over the holidays. Photo: Duchess Media
“In the 2019 summer school holidays, our Healthy Holidays programme worked with 160 different organisations in supporting the provision of 53,000 meals to less advantaged children,” says director Maurice Di Rosso.
“The collaboration between the third, public and private sectors, relationships which really blossomed last summer, has been growing. We are one city, and the way we are working together reflects this.
“The confronting fact is this: food insecurity is getting worse in Bristol. The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly impacted our city. Nevertheless, the framework of collaboration and partnership within Bristol allowed us all to come together and support those in most need.”
Donate to the fundraiser at www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com
Main photo: USDA
Read more: ‘Not everyone in Bristol can guarantee their family will have a healthy meal every day’
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