Since Covid-19, we were unable to offer our usual school holiday lunch club. Instead, we reached out to the local community to understand their needs and set up a weekly food hamper distribution.

During lockdown families were struggling to get out to the shops or were unable to find the additional money to provide the missed school dinner that their children usually received at school.

Since September school dinners are available during school time and thanks to Marcus Rashford's campaign, local councils will be able to support children on free school meals during the school holidays (details yet to be confirmed). This is amazing, but isn't the full solution for many struggling families. Over 40% of children living in Barton Hill are living in poverty. Families are still struggling, some have lost work due to Covid-19, are on zero hour contracts or have health conditions so are struggling to get out and about. 

Each hamper we give provides a family of four at least three meals. This Christmas we'd like to give some extra treats, the kind of thing that you or I might take for granted. You can donate these items direct to us, email Amy at lunchstlukes@gmail.com for full details or you can donate money for us to order.

Here's a list of items that we are looking for:

Family toiletries

Toiletry sets for mum or dad

Christmas cakes - yule log, Christmas cake

Cheese crackers

Christmas/luxury biscuits

Tinned meat/fish

Family chocolates

Toothbrushes/toothpastes

Jam/marmalade

Tinned fruitSponge/Christmas puddings

Small puzzles/family games/craft sets

Children's stationery (pencils, pads, colouring pens etc)

At the end of the summer we asked families how the hampers had helped, here's what they said: