With the school holidays fast approaching, new research highlights the crucial need to ensure children are supported during the summer gap in school meal provision.
The Trussell Trust’s food banks support families year-round – with nearly two-thirds of all their support last year provided to families with children. Last summer, Trussell Trust food banks supported 430,000 people with emergency food – 160,000 of whom were children, and the charity expects to see similar demand, or even higher, this summer.
Additional research from Tesco* highlights the challenges faced in the school holidays. One in 12 respondents said that in the past their children have had to miss meals due to financial constraints – a problem alleviated during term time by access to free school meals.
Pressure on family finances can also see children become less active and more isolated during school holidays. According to Tesco’s research, 42% of families say their children will miss out on clubs and activities during the holidays because of the cost.
Given these challenges, as part of its Stronger Starts programme, Tesco is donating £1 million this summer to FareShare and the Trussell Trust. This is in addition to Tesco’s store-based grants programme, Stronger Starts, which aims to help schools and children’s groups in local communities across the UK.
This summer will also see Tesco expand its pre-packed customer donation bags to all of its large stores. The bags, which typically cost between £2 and £3, are pre-filled with healthy and nutritious long-life items and can be picked up in store and paid for at the checkout. The donated food is passed to FareShare and the Trussell Trust, who will distribute it to charities and food banks to help families who need it most.
In addition to the donation bags, for a week in July and another in August, customers will have the chance to round up their bill at the checkout to the nearest pound. Last year, generous Tesco customers donated nearly £600,000, which was split between FareShare and the Trussell Trust. Customers shopping online will also be able to make a monetary donation as they check out.
For families shopping in store, the supermarket will also be running its popular Kids Eat Free scheme in its 317 cafés across the UK over the school summer holidays. The supermarket’s cafés will be offering one free Kids Hot Meal Deal, Kids Breakfast or Kids Pick ‘n’ Mix deal with each item bought by an adult from as little as 60p, when showing their Tesco Clubcard or Clubcard App at the till.
Tesco continues to support FareShare and other community groups year-round by redistributing unsold food from all its stores as part of its Community Food Connection programme, which to date has provided more than 192 million meals. Customers can also donate the value of their Clubcard vouchers to either FareShare or the Trussell Trust online.
Claire De Silva, head of communities at Tesco, said: “Too often families with too little support during the holidays see their children miss out on the good stuff every child deserves – not just for their physical health but for their mental wellbeing as well.
“If we all pull together over the coming months, whether that’s popping a few tins into a food collection point, picking up a food donation bag in our stores or rounding up our grocery bill, we can make a difference to the lives of thousands of children, who, without support, could have a tough summer holiday.”
David Bradshaw, headteacher, Hillborough Junior School, Luton, said: “During term time, schools provide the balanced, nutritious meals, snacks, physical activity and social interaction, that combined, help give children a strong start in life. During holidays, we know that children’s physical and mental health can suffer, and the benefit of providing support for children through the school holidays cannot be underestimated.”
Emma Revie, CEO at the Trussell Trust, said: “We are extremely grateful to Tesco for their generous donation and are excited to partner with them to launch these in-store summer activities, making it easier for people to support their local food bank throughout the holidays.
“Our network of food banks distributed more than 1.1 million parcels for children last year, almost double the amount provided just five years ago and this illustrates the unacceptable levels of hardship that many people are currently facing. No-one should need to turn to a charity for something as essential as food, and as we work towards achieving the long-term change needed, Tesco’s support this summer will make a real difference to families across the UK.”
George Wright, chief executive at FareShare, said: “During the school holidays, many families across the UK struggle without the regular access to school meals, leading them to turn to local groups for support. This results in a surge in food demand. With around three-quarters of the organisations we support providing food for children and families, the 8,500 charities FareShare supplies are under immense pressure.
“This generous donation from Tesco will ensure we continue providing vital support to charities that rely on FareShare food to strengthen their local communities this summer. Our surplus sourcing model means every £1 of the donation enables over £4 of nutritious food to support those in need. We are deeply grateful for Tesco’s continued commitment to our partnership.”
Launched in 2023, Tesco Stronger Starts is a £8m grant programme, in partnership with Groundwork UK, that boosts funds for extra food and activity equipment to give children across the UK a stronger start in life. The grants help schools, children’s groups and wider community projects provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and equipment for healthy activities.
