UPDATE: Thank you to all those who have supported. Whilst the Government is now funding Free School Meals over summer, we know that this is not enough to prevent food poverty and insecurity. The clubs that we support are seeing rising numbers of families. Every box of groceries is still very much in need. Our original target of £5000 allows us to support the minimum number of families. If we can exceed it, we will be able to support them during October and future school holidays and/or extend our support to more families. We are also offering families free access to a Cooking at Home support program that sits alongside the grocery boxes. Thank you for your support!

In normal times, we know that the need to support families access food during the school holidays is crucial. For four years, we have been cooking free, hot nutritious meals at free-to-attend holiday clubs that support families at risk of food poverty.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, these clubs cannot run as they usually would. However, the clubs are still providing much needed support to their families - and their numbers are increasing. We aim to provide free grocery boxes matched to recipes for families eligible for free school meals or at risk of food poverty during the holidays - but we need funding to enable this to happen.

If funding allows, we'd like to extend this to other schools/community groups supporting families during the school holidays.

During Easter school holidays, schools received last minute guidance that Free School Meals would continue to be funded during the holidays. For the May school holidays, the Government has announced that they will NOT be providing funding, meaning that many families will face challenges accessing food at a time of great uncertainty. We seek funding to help us provide more families with free grocery boxes during the May, and the up and coming, Summer school holidays.

Every £15 will help us fund a grocery box for one family, for the week. Please donate what you can, and help us to help Southampton's families.

"We also got to take home a food goody bag which was a lovely surprise."

We aim to support our existing Lunch Crowd clubs, and funding allowing, extend this funding to schools who would have been joining the scheme this May and Summer, and beyond where possible.

Thank you!