For the first time in its 70-year history, Unicef is feeding hungry children in the UK

Support us and go ad-free

Unicef is helping to feed hungry children in the UK as part of the charity’s first domestic emergency response in its 70-year history.

Some 1,800 families struggling as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will receive breakfast boxes over the Christmas school holidays, the charity School Food Matters said.

The Food Power for Generation Covid initiative, in partnership with Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, and the Southwark Food Power Alliance, has been made possible by a £25,000 grant from Unicef UK.

It represents the first time the organisation has developed a domestic emergency response.

“Poverty is a political choice”

Unicef said the coronavirus pandemic is the most urgent crisis affecting children since the Second World War. But as Labour MP Zarah Sultana tweeted:

And Labour MP Richard Burgon pointed out that in the UK, “poverty is a political choice”:

The families in Southwark, south London, will receive 18,000 breakfasts which will be distributed by schools for two weeks when they break up.

“A longer-term solution is needed”

The programme will also provide 6,750 breakfasts to families over the February half-term break.

Anna Kettley, director of programmes at Unicef UK, said: “This is Unicef’s first ever emergency response within the UK, introduced to tackle the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus crisis and reach the families most in need.

“The grant for School Food Matters will address the gap in current provision for children, providing approximately 1,800 children with breakfast bags during the Christmas holidays and February half term.

“This funding will help build stronger communities as the impact of the pandemics worsen, but ultimately a longer-term solution is needed to tackle the root causes of food poverty, so no child is left to go hungry.”

School Food Matters founder Stephanie Slater said: “The response to our summer Breakfast Boxes programme has shown us that families are really struggling and many were facing the grim reality of a two-week winter break without access to free school meals and the indignity of having to rely on food banks to feed their children.

“By providing our breakfast boxes, families know that their children will have a great start to the day with a healthy nutritious breakfast.”

“The government has failed”

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: “The fact that Unicef is having to step in to feed our country’s hungry children is a disgrace and Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak should be ashamed.

“We are one of the richest countries in the world. Our children should not have to rely on humanitarian charities that are used to operating in war zones and in response to natural disasters.

“Charities and businesses across the country have done a brilliant job stepping in where the Government has failed, but it should have never come to this.”

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us
  • Show Comments
    1. What else should we expect? UKania is run by a cabal of capitalist socio/psychopaths who worship & covet money & hate people. A majority voted for them & the most decent candidate for PM was sent packing. UKania gets what the majority voted for………..& it WILL get worse. ETON NAPPY’s 2020 CV19 Catastrophe will be followed by the Brexit Balls-up & Cave-in Panto….hold tight, the Party of Death hasn’t finished its run of destruction………..what New Year surprises will there be ?

    Leave a Reply

    Join the conversation

    Please read our comment moderation policy here.