Working to ensure no child in Bristol goes hungry this summer

With the number of people facing food poverty spiralling over the last 16 months, organisations are rallying to ensure no child slips through the cracks.

A warehouse at Ashton Gate used for emergency food provision during the pandemic has been brought back into operation to meet a critical need to support families during the long summer holidays, when thousands of children are at risk of going hungry.

Working in partnership with Feeding Bristol and organisations across the city, FareShare South West teams are working to provide food for approximately 71,500 meals over the course of the next six weeks.

It comes as Julian Mines, CEO at FareShare South West, says the number of children at risk of hunger in Bristol is expected to have increased to more than one in four.

More than 30 tonnes of food that will go to more than 50 holiday projects, including the Bristol Robins Foundation holiday club, this summer holiday – photo courtesy of Bristol Robins Foundation

“School holidays are a key, time-critical moment to provide support to families to avoid them falling through the gaps and into more complex issues relating to poverty,” says Mines.

“Year on year we’ve supported holiday projects in Bristol as these are a brilliant way to reach children who might otherwise go hungry.”

FareShare South West is set to distribute more than 30 tonnes of food that will go to more than 50 holiday projects for children in Bristol.

The warehouse on Winterstoke Road was loaned to FareShare by Steve Lansdown, the owner of Bristol Sport, last year to enable the charity to expand its operations. Its use during the summer holidays will enable the team to meet the additional need while continuing its supply of food to charities and organisations.

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Read more: Mammoth effort to meet spiralling demand as food poverty in Bristol soars

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Ped Asgarin, director at Feeding Bristol, says: “Since the pandemic, the number of children in Bristol eligible for free school meals has risen to over 16,000.

“Bristol City Council’s Your Holiday Hub programme will be supporting these children over the summer holidays by working with an established network of community organisations to provide a mixture of activities and food. Working closely with the council, we target the wards in the city that have the highest percentage of children eligible for free school meals, and support organisations working in those areas.

“Feeding Bristol work closely with FareShare South West to provide packed lunches that will cater for a range of dietary needs and are healthy, exciting and tasty.

“The Children’s Kitchen, a Feeding Bristol project, will also be providing family cooking sessions over the summer and a range of literature and videos to help support families and organisations with recipes, and guidance on cooking with children and for children in an inclusive and engaging way.”

For the last ten years, Bristol Robins Foundation has been delivering free holiday camps for young people on free school meals. While at the camps, the children have the opportunity to play sports and are guaranteed a free meal every day they attend.

For the first time this year, the camps have received additional funding from Bristol City Council, which chief development officers James Edwards says is enabling them to operate on a much bigger scale.

“This will impact more young people in areas of deprivation who are on free school meals to give them sport and positive provision, as well as providing them with daily food and having the opportunity to engage with them for four hours a day,” says Edwards.

The emergency warehouse used by FareShare is back in operation – photo courtesy of FareShare South West

FareShare South West is calling on Bristol businesses to support the Food for Holiday Projects work by giving up a morning or afternoon throughout the summer to volunteer at the temporary warehouse, picking and packing food for deliveries. Any interested organisations can email volunteer@faresharesouthwest.org.uk.

Main photo courtesy of FareShare South West

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