Some information about our Charity 'Meals & More'

In the early 2000s, eradicating child poverty by 2,020 was government policy and enshrined in law. However, following the global economic crisis, the government cut funding to support this social issue.

In the last five years a combination of the struggling economy and changes to policy has led to a significant increase in child poverty, which is defined as the inability to enjoy the basic rights to a healthy life:
• Not having three meals a day
• Not having adequate housing
• Not having access to activity and learning
• Unsafe and insecure family unit

In the UK, over 3.9 million children live in poverty (the equivalent of every person in Birmingham, Manchester, and Cardiff combined), yet 65% have a parent in work. The government has also identified around 6 million households who are ‘just about managing’ and at risk of falling below the poverty line. Child food poverty is estimated to cost society £29bn through lost tax receipts, benefits payments and services. The number, and use, of food banks is increasing - particularly during the school holidays as cost of living continues to rise.

Worryingly, this has a major impact on the attitude and aspirations of the children - there is a direct link between child poverty and under-performance both at school and in the workplace.

We recognised that we could make a real difference to child poverty and particularly holiday hunger by leveraging our product range, nutritional expertise, distribution network, and supplier relationships, all underpinned by independent research. In addition, the business benefits by reducing stock waste by donating it to clubs and creating opportunities for local engagement at all our sites across the country.

Overall purpose and objectives:
1. Tackling holiday hunger in our communities
2. Evaluating the impact of holiday hunger on society
3. Creating a movement to tackle holiday hunger