100000 meals to be delivered as holiday hunger in Bristol increases
Families who were just about coping are now struggling to put food on the table as the repercussions of the Covid-19 lockdown are felt across Bristol.
The boss of FareShare South West says the crisis has laid bare and exacerbated food insecurity and the charity is getting ready to deliver 100,000 meals over the five-week summer holidays – 30,000 more than was needed for the same period last year.
A dedicated van will distribute 40 tonnes worth of essential supplies to 24 organisations, including schools, Ambition Lawrence Weston and Children’s Scrapstore, to support the families struggling to make ends meet.
Julian Mines, the CEO of FareShare South West, explained this help during the school holidays is a vital time-limited opportunity to prevent people falling deeper into more complex issues relating to poverty, as well as to ensure children don’t go needlessly hungry.
Speaking about the mammoth effort to tackle holiday hunger this summer, Julian said: “Last year we celebrated the huge achievement of delivering enough food for 70,000 meals during the summer holidays but never did we expect that just a year later we’d be distributing enough food for a massive 100,000 meals in just a five-week window.
“This quantity is reflective of need. Food poverty existed before coronavirus, but the crisis has laid bare and exacerbated food insecurity across our nation, with footballer Marcus Rashford doing his bit to place the conversation at the centre of the media.
“Families who were just about coping are now struggling to put food on the table and with high levels of unemployment on the cards, it seems that need will only increase.”
Feeding Bristol has launched a fundraiser to raise the £20,000 needed to ensure no child in the city goes hungry over the summer holidays.
FareShare supplies are sourced from across the food industry, which provides donations of in-date, good quality surplus food. Unlike in previous years when this has been distributed predominantly to active holiday projects, the food will be made into parcels for families due to the limitations coronavirus has presented.
Main photo courtesy of FareShare South West
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