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help us, help them.
become a supporter Happier
, Healthier Children
dear meals & more
Supporters
The first year since becoming a charity has been an incredible one for Meals & More, allowing
us to serve more than 110,000 meals in 2019 to some of the nation’s most vulnerable children
throughout the summer holidays.
But the success of the charity we started together in 2015 saddens me greatly as, quite simply, it
shouldn’t be necessary. The fact that a quarter of our great nation’s children live in poverty, and
particularly over the summer, may not know where their next healthy meal is coming from, is a
national disgrace.
As well as directly funding Meals & More clubs, we need to continue to raise awareness of holiday
hunger and the social isolation it causes, ensuring that our government and the general public
understand that this is a real and growing issue.
Our mission to increase understanding of the consequences of holiday hunger took a huge step
forward this year, as we welcomed Peter McGrath as our first operations director. Peter has
already launched a PR campaign which created headlines in several national newspapers. We’ve
also welcomed several new corporate supporters who have joined the fight against holiday
hunger. But we need to, and we must, do more.
With your help, we can make a huge difference to children’s lives. We know that not having
access to a healthy diet not only affects children’s physical wellbeing, but also their mental
development. It can be a barrier to achieving their full potential in life, with social isolation and
under-performing academic achievements being among some of the consequences of holiday
hunger.
We have the power to change this, through your support and encouraging others to join us, we
can make a real difference. Together we can create a better world for thousands of children
Thank you for your continued support.
Kate Woodhouse
Chair - Meals & More
2 3
what is child research into
poverty?
holiday hunger
The research undertaken by University of Northumbria at Newcastle, funded by Meals & More
is now complete. The study: An Investigation of Holiday Club Provision: Impact on Children’s
According to the Children’s Society, a child is said to be living in poverty Educational Attainment, Nutritional Intake and Wider Family Benefits was written by Jackie Shinwell
when they are living in a family with an income below 60% of the UK’s PhD and will help educate people on some of the issues associated with holiday hunger and the
benefits of holiday provision.
average, after adjusting for family size.
Throughout the UK, 4 million children are living in poverty, which is
around 9 in the average classroom. That’s almost 1/3 of children who live The aim of the thesis was to investigate the potential benefits, uses, and impact of holiday club
in the UK, living in poverty. provision with food on disadvantaged children’s nutritional intake, educational attainment and
the social well-being of attendees and their parents and carers. A sequential mixed methods
The situation is getting worse, with the number set to rise to 5 million
research design was adopted for this thesis. An initial qualitative study informed the development
by 2020. Shockingly, 2/3 of children living in poverty have at least one of hypothesis and variables to be used in two subsequent quantitative phases of data collection.
parent in work.
Study found that organisations were motivated by concerns that children may be at risk of
holiday hunger due to changes in UK Government policy relating to welfare and benefit reform.
However, Study found that the benefits of holiday club provision extended beyond just providing
access to food.
Why is child poverty on
Benefits were demonstrated at an organisational, community, interpersonal and individual level
the rise in the UK? in multiple ways, including positive aspects of food choice.
The research will be beneficial as we move forward in addressing the key issues relating to Holiday
Provision with influencers and decision makers, with the aim of making a positive contribution
Living costs
and difference to the lives of children and young people in local communities that need support.
Many families are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. The prices
of essentials like food and fuel are rising and this hits Britain’s poorest families
hardest. We know that parents are skipping meals so that they can afford
43% 71%
to feed their children, and in winter many families are forced to make the
impossible choice of either feeding their children or heating their homes.
Low pay
OF CHILDREN LIVING IN OF CHILDREN IN
Low wages make it difficult for families to escape poverty. And it’s even harder
HOUSEHOLDS WITH THREE FAMILIES WITH NO
when, at the same time, the prices of everyday essentials like food and fuel are OR MORE CHILDREN ARE WORKING ADULTS ARE
rising. Almost two thirds of children living in poverty have at least one parent in
work. This shows that, for many, work simply isn’t paying enough for parents to
IN POVERTY IN POVERTY
provide for their children.
Benefit cuts
Cuts are being made to benefits and to public services that children from
disadvantaged backgrounds rely on most. This is having a massive impact
47%
OF CHILDREN IN LONE-
45%
OF CHILDREN LIVING
70%
OF POOR CHILDREN
on families and children in poverty and is likely to significantly increase the
number of children in poverty.
PARENT FAMILIES ARE IN MINORITY ETHNIC ARE IN WORKING
IN POVERTY FAMILIES ARE IN POVERTY FAMILIES
Source: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/ending-child-poverty/what-is-child-poverty
4 5
Holiday Hunger, the meals & more
journey
a Growing Problem
“It has been the busiest summer yet for holiday provision in the UK. Food is without a doubt the
catalyst for bringing communities together and alleviating the many issues faced by struggling
families during current austere times. We at Meals & More know that it is poverty that is the
underlying cause that makes programmes like ours essential. While policy is lacking, civil society
and human kindness has stepped in and we are lucky that the generosity of our corporate
supporters, along with the fundraising efforts of individuals have supported the work we are
doing. One example is the magnificent effort of Brakes staff who collectively raised £10,000 to
help us grow to where we are today Founded by Brakes in 2015, Meals & More is an
founded in 2015
independent registered charity, and contributes to
It is positive that in the last three years £16.5 million has come from Government investment.
Brakes’ and many other companies’ Corporate Social
This does not take into account investment from local authorities, charitable organisations public
health, business sector, philanthropists or the value of volunteer hours and food donations/ Responsibility goals.
we are an official
surplus reuse, which equates to millions more. However it is still not enough and without a Meals & More has, and will continue to, be active in
registered charity
proper national framework, decent policy and adequate funding we will continue to rely heavily championing the causes of children living in poverty with
on the goodwill of groups of community spirited human beings, like those involved in Meals the national Government, politicians across England
& More, to keep children well-nourished and supported in the 13 weeks that our schools are and the devolved administrations, industry and local
closed. providing 110,000
school meals in 2019
communities. We do this through lobbying, providing
ecent holiday provision that supports more than just food and activities should be a
D evidence-based research and working in partnership to
cornerstone of poverty alleviation policy in the UK. It is trailblazing work, such as that of our mitigate the effects of poverty, child hunger and isolation.
programme, that will inform and shape future policy, research and funding in this area.
reaching 11,000 Meals & More funds academic research for Northumbria
e know that holiday provision programmes support families who are struggling with debt,
W children in 149 clubs
University, which provides robust evidence to the
child care, activities, food costs, skills development, social isolation, housing and integration. In
the last five years these problem areas have become much more public and awareness of child government on the impact of holiday hunger on education
hunger in the UK is at its highest level in decades. Research in this area is underway in twelve and learning.
achieving 5 csr
UK Universities, the Meals & More programme was one of the first in the UK to contribute to Most importantly, we were able to support the most
award accolades
groundbreaking research about the benefits that holiday clubs can bring to our children and vulnerable children in society by providing more than
their communities. 110,000 meals in 2019.
What we already know is that the programmes keep children, safe, engaged, included, valued
and nourished. Community partnerships have been strengthened and hundreds of thousands
of children, possibly even millions, are getting access to support in their own communities from
projects and programmes like ours. That is something we should all be both sad and glad of.
As we await more research and government announcements about future policy and funding,
let’s keep the Meals & More momentum up, into 2020 and beyond.”
Peter McGrath,
Operations Director, Meals & More
the Meals & More mission
Meals & More aims to provide support to children who live with poverty and social isolation, who
have limited access to adequate food provision and activities, throughout the school holidays.
6 7
How do we fund?
Industry Partners Funds & Resources Holiday Clubs
We partner with some These partners supply vital These funds are used to
wonderful suppliers that funds and resources that help help run holiday clubs
help us make a difference our delivery partners succeed across the UK
With help from our partners we can achieve our goal on supporting a million meals over
the next 5 years – in 2019 Meals & More supported 110,000 meals in 202 Clubs.
our purpose
With a sustainable approach, Meals & More is focused on developing working partnerships that
underpin our aims and makes a difference to each child we reach.
Meals & More is a catalyst for positive change, bringing like-minded people together, creating
opportunities to improve lives, contributing to happier, healthier children and families. Through
provision of nutritious food and enriching educational activities, Meals & More partnerships
contribute to supportive environments, boosting health, self-belief and aspirations.
Every child matters and deserves to have a good start in life, not just at school but throughout
the entire year. Our partners have a clear understanding of the Meals & More aims and
collective challenges. We embrace all opportunities to work with organisations and businesses
that have similar goals and want to make a difference.
8 9
Benefield School Upper Stratton
holiday club holiday club
Benefield School holiday club (known as Chomp), is managed by Make Lunch, Upper Stratton, first opened in February 2018 and is
One Church Brighton and is open for nine days during the summer. located on the edge of Swindon. The economy and residential areas
It serves approximately 30 children and 17 adults every single day. are mixed; it has three local schools and a secondary school, the
children’s poverty rate in some parts is 37%.
The club first opened in 2012 and is located 3 miles from the centre
of Brighton. One Church’s policy is to invite not just children, but The leader of Make Lunch is Lynda Mitchell, an experienced caterer
also families to attend, helping the community as a whole. Daily who is passionate about feeding children well, not just through
activities include reading, games, playdoh, colouring, cut and paste school term-time but also school holidays.
projects, smoothie making and outdoor activities after lunch.
Lynda’s extremely pleased that Make Lunch can help a community
The leader of the Chomp project is Vanessa O’Shea, experienced in in need:
culture & leadership, she has been involved with Chomp since June
“It’s an ongoing challenge, to reach families most in need, but now that
2019. Vanessa is extremely pleased that Chomp and Meals & More
Make Lunch is established it makes it easier to reach out to relevant
can make a difference to the children and families in the community.
agencies as a resource for them to signpost families to us.
She believes providing nutritious lunches and activities to children “Without the support of Meals
will help them to concentrate and focus when returning to school, & More we would struggle to I truly value the Meals & More contribution as it enables us to provide
enabling them to become independent, responsible young people, meet the cost of food” food, as a church we can access the church resources for activity,
and ease the pressure on youth homelessness in the future. Vanessa O’Shea, Chomp Project,
making this a whole package”
Benefield School Holiday Club
“We’ve been coming to Chomp for about 2 years, my children love it! It really
takes the pressure off when you can go out for the day with Chomp; otherwise
going out for the day can be lots of money, even at the park if there is a fun fair,
it’s just money money money. It’s difficult.”
“On one occasion Chomp provided the opportunity to go to the lido, it was a “The club provides excellent support through the holidays including activities
brilliant day. They also arranged a visit to ‘Into the Trees’, an adventure place. for all ages. For me and many parents, the cost of providing activities for the
The tickets were free, which really helps when you are on low income. We also children during holidays can be expensive. The club certainly relives the pressure
had a visit from the fire brigade; the kids thought it was brilliant. It’s great to see you are under at this time of year, and what is good is that it is in a safe and
smoothie making and hands-on activities. The reading corner is also great.” supportive environment. Personally, I have also learnt about healthy cooking,
new recipes, healthy choices, and it’s great when the kids can have a go.”
“Chomp gives the chance to talk with other parents, it’s a release and it’s great
that the kids get a meal, it can be difficult to balance the money people have Quote from Kirsty, a parent of children who attend Make Lunch
and it really helps. The food is good and gives the opportunity for children to try
different foods.”
“Chomp is great, it’s the only group that runs in the school holidays, the toddler
group stops in the holidays. There’s loads of space and lots to do. It is a positive
social environment - kids need something more than sitting at home”
Quotes by Natalie and Heather, parents of children who attend Chomp
10 11
club locations the future
POVERTY
Child Poverty Action Group reported 4.1 million children living in poverty in the UK
in 2017-2018, that’s 30% of children. It is widely reported that the impact of austerity
Scotland across communities in the UK is growing, with more people accessing food banks.
14 The Institute of Fiscal Studies is forecasting that children poverty rates (AHC) will
reach 37% by 2021/2022.
Ref: https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/10030
REACH
The recent Children’s Food Inquiry Report (April 2019) references many cases of
North
East food insecurity and its devastating consequences. Meals & More and our partners
Northern 74 clearly understand the challenges and are looking to reach more communities and
Ireland children over the coming years.
15
Yorkshire
& Humber
19
GROWTH
East Through our dedicated network, Meals & More
North
Midlands aim to support communities, families & children by
West
18 serving a million meals over the next 5 years.
30
London
5
SUPPORT
A clear vision, along with the support of
our partners, helps us achieve our aims.
Eastern
3
Wales
3
South
South East
West 36
14
12 13
help us make a
difference
why choose meals & More?
our supporters
We work with a number of corporate partners who share our passion for putting an end to holiday
hunger. Working with Meals & More, you will be providing the vital support we need to raise
awareness of the issues surrounding holiday hunger. As well as helping with our important work,
you will also create an industry-leading campaign that will engage and motivate your colleagues.
• A team dedicated to ensuring the partnership works for both sides, including amplifying your
PR and social media
• Opportunities to get involved with local clubs
• Around a third of children and their families suffer from holiday hunger. There will probably
be a need in your local community or region
• We can help you deliver your Corporate Social Responsibility needs
how can you help us?
contribute Join us fundraising
Contribute funds and resources to Become an ambassador for Meals Help raise the profile of Meals & More
Meals & More to help fund holiday & More, linking with and supporting by fundraising for us. We want to work
clubs and provisions. clubs in your community. with partners who share our passion for
putting an end to holiday hunger.
14 15
Registered charity number: 1179092
Visit us tweet us Email us
www.mealsandmore.org.uk @MealsandMoreUK Meals&More@Brake.co.uk
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