Over 40 charities, organisations and education unions (including ASO) have called on Education Secretary Gavin Williamson MP to announce additional funding for continued food provision during the forthcoming school half-term and summer holidays.
In a joint letter to the Secretary of State Gavin Williamson MP and Schools Minister Vicky Ford MP, the organisations point to recent figures from the Food Foundation that show around 2 million children across the UK are directly experiencing some level of food insecurity or hunger. Before the crisis, 1.3 million children in England were eligible for benefit-related free school meals, however a further 1.4 million families have applied for Universal Credit since the start of the outbreak.
However, this week Vicky Ford MP replied to two Parliamentary questions to say there was no plan to extend further funding to cover half term or summer holidays.
Christina Adane, a 16 year old young woman from Lambeth, has now started a petition to Boris Johnson on Change.Org on behalf of all the children who will miss out if there is no funding to keep food support or alternative cash/voucher payments going over the holidays. Members are encouraged to sign it.
For more information about the campaign, visit the Sustain website.