Charity gives 17,000 kids food as families face holiday 'strain'

ABOUT 17,000 children have been fed this summer by a food charity based in Totton, it estimated, as some parents struggled to put meals on the table during the school holiday.

FareShare Southern Central, which has a warehouse in Calmore Industrial Estate, said each week it had provided at least 3,455 children with something to eat at projects across Hampshire and Dorset.

Claire Martin, the charity’s development manager, said: “For parents of children who normally receive free school meals, the summer can be a really difficult time – with the strain of added food costs, activities and childcare leaving many families struggling to provide food.

“ActiveAte is our campaign to address this issue across Hampshire and Dorset, and this summer’s figures demonstrate the glaring need for enhanced food provision in our communities over the summer.”

The local operation is the Southern Central regional branch of FareShare, the UK’s biggest surplus food redistribution charity. It provided food to 22 holiday projects in the south this summer.

With an estimated three million children at risk of going hungry over the school holidays, the charity’s ActiveAte campaign aimed to raise awareness of children facing hunger when lessons break up and they lose free school meals.

Holiday projects which received food also provided activities such as sport, drama and cooking lessons, with the aim of returning youngsters to class this week healthy and ready to learn.

Ms Martin added: “With the support of our food partners, we’re grateful we’re able to support more frontline holiday projects than before, but in order to ensure no child goes hungry, we are appealing to the public for donations.

“Just £7 can have a real, tangible impact – providing 28 meals for children at a holiday project.”

To find out more about FareShare’s ActiveAte campaign, visit www.fareshare.org.uk.