Holiday Hunger Programme

The Holiday Hunger Programme has been launched to provide extra support to children and their families this half term. The County Council is working with the Active Essex Foundation to extend the programme. It will see 33 programmes available across the county and more than 1,000 children provided with free activities and food.

St Mary’s Church is Helping

St Mary’s church is offering support, on Tuesday to Friday of this week, to families adversely affected by the Pandemic;

they will provide ingredients to make hot meals. They would be pleased to see anybody in need of such support. Please contact the church office and they will arrange delivery to your door. Alternatively, call into the church between 12-1 and collect. All meet Covid guidelines.

With thanks to all those who have supported us in being able to do this.

Church office [email protected] 01206 243683

Extension of Summer Programme

The Essex scheme is an extension to the very popular summer holidays activity programme; this provided free childcare and a free meal for working families and saw 3,548 children take part. The programme links with schools, food banks, local churches, local authorities and the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service, to identify families who would benefit.

Do You Know Somebody???

In addition to the Holiday Hunger programme, Essex County Council is launching the ‘Half Term Emergency Fund’. This is a new scheme for food banks and other organisations which provides food to communities. Foodbanks can apply for a grant up to £2,500 to help ensure they have supplies to cover the half-term holiday.

You can download a copy of the application form from here.

Find Out More

The Feeding Britain website gives a good background into the issue of Holiday Hunger in their article online. Around 3 million children are at risk of going hungry during school holidays!