Free Meals

Lyndylou

I do get fed up with the constant carping about the government on here. Rather than signing petitions to waste government time, why not see what can be done to help feed these children? I can't go out because I'm isolating so I can help my son and partner with their new baby but it didn't take long this morning for me to find a local cafe on facebook crowdfunding in order to give out free meals at half term and to donate.

I can do both - wow - clever old me?I

I do get fed up with the constant carping about the government on here. Rather than signing petitions to waste government time, why not see what can be done to help feed these children? I can't go out because I'm isolating so I can help my son and partner with their new baby but it didn't take long this morning for me to find a local cafe on facebook crowdfunding in order to give out free meals at half term and to donate.

SuzieWoozie I am afraid I don’t have the perfect solution to the problem. Maybe you could come up with a better one rather than use highlight boxes to criticise. I know of parents who choose to spend money on alcohol, tattoos and cigarettes but it would be stupid to think all parents are like that. I would rather know a child is given a good dinner directly whilst at school. School holidays? They could then be given CB.

MadeInYorkshire

Thank you Doodledog x

And from me. I shall look for your posts when you are recovering. Let us know if you are eating properly!!

Thank you Doodledog x

All the best for your surgery on Monday, MadeInYorkshire. I hope it goes well .

PECS

There is an initiative that I am signed up to called FreeMyMeal..
check it out on FB. It connects cooks with people in need of a meal.

Thank you so much PECS for mentioning this group!!

freemymeal.co.uk/#:~:text=Free%20My%20Meal%20creates%20connections%20between%20people%20who,need%20of%20a%20meal%20have%20access%20to%20one.

I am going into hospital on Monday for major surgery - am not really nutritionally fit for it as have been living on very little recently, and have been worrying that when I get discharged that I will have nothing in to eat which will not help my recovery at all and the no doubt 15 minutes of help I will get on discharge will suffice to be able to feed me! Someone not knowing my financial situation, suggested that I get in some Wiltshire Farm Foods meals, but they are expensive and used to smell awful when I used to work with the elderly about a decade ago! (to be fair they are probably better now?)

Within an hour I have found someone local who will cook for me - how wonderful some people are ....

People get so angsty about the children of parents who smoke and drink being 'given' anything, and to me it is an illogical way to think.

I doubt that parents who spend on booze before feeding their children are doing so because they want to try a new and interesting vintage, but do it because they have a drink problem. Surely a child who is being brought up in a family where this is the case is likely to be more in need of a nourishing meal than a child in a poor but functional family? By what logic do people want to deny them this meal? It is not the fault of the child if her/his parents spend on alcohol, and if there is a drink problem it won't be a case of encouraging them to prioritise food - drink will always come first.

This is not in any way to imply that there is necessarily a link between parents in need and alcoholism - it is a response to those who resort to the 'they have enough money for booze' cliche every time this debate comes round.

I can't even get my council to deal with all the things they should do ordinarily, let alone phone them for some food.
I should imagine, like most of these schemes, there are so many hoops to fit through that you give up.

Liz46

Our council have a phone number to ring if you are short of food and they will provide some. Surely other councils must be doing this as well?

That’s better than nothing but why not just give out the vouchers to eligible parents rather than make them make a begging phone call?

Our council have a phone number to ring if you are short of food and they will provide some. Surely other councils must be doing this as well?

I despair, it’s so blatantly obvious that the government are playing games. Dividing the country and far from levelling up, they play mind games on people that should know better. The most obvious thing to do was say yes to providing food to children, who have no resources themselves, totally reliant on grown ups to look after them. If the immediate grownups don’t have the wherewithal/money/resources to provide that vital nutrition then it is up to the grown ups in the rest of the country to make sure that they are at the very least provided with a nutritional meal throughout the day. They didn’t agree because they like the idea of divide and rule, keep people in their place, they are so jealous that MR has become popular and now a thorn in their side. I pretty much think they are regretting the MBE being bestowed upon him, they’ve effectively shot themselves in the foot. They did it to make Themselves look good, they weren’t expecting this backlash, lack of forward planning as is the case in every thing they do.

MadeinYorkshire there are no puds
Or is that a whole other sheet?

It's the extortionate price of food that cripples lots of families
I think it's the extortionate price of housing that is the problem as the proportion of income we spend on food in the UK is one of the lowest in the world.

Farmers go out of business or give up in despair because they are not being paid the proper price to cover their costs in many cases and supermarkets give them a very bad deal. Supermarkets don't fund the special deals - they force farmers to do so.

There’s a part of me that feels no child should go hungry.

What I used to do in the 60's was buy a sack of potatoes from the greengrocer after the meter man had been. We had everything you could think of made with potatoes There were 6 of us altogether so it made sense. I think it cost £11 maybe less. Large breasts of lamb for Sunday dinner--1/6 !
Rest of the time it was stews, potato cakes, chips, baked potatoes, sausage and mash--the list went on.

It's the extortionate price of food that cripples lots of families. No need for it at all when there's so much waste too. It's criminal. How can a loaf of bread costing 7p increase to over £1 in some cases ?

Apparently this is the current menu in Westminster ... could do with a much nicer font and better use of grammar in my opinion!

The vouchers are for £15 a week. It's a paltry amount, but it will make a huge difference.

Having worked in education I have seen first hand how hungry some kids are. Those voting against free meals for children during the holidays (my own very very privileged MP included) I really wonder how they sleep at night. Petition signed.

There are a few judgemental comments here. Just like to say that I worked as a health visitor in inner city area for 30 years and I can honestly say that there was a small minority of parents on benefits who smoked,drank and were not prioritising their children's needs. But the vast majority struggled with the limitations and sanctions of the welfare system. Many would go without meals themselves to ensure children were fed. So many stories I could tell you which would make you weep.
Children should not be going hungry,food insecurity is such a worry for parents and devastating for the children .It hurts mentally and physically. I can still remember the excitement of free school meals and feeling strong enough to take part in sport and study.

I was classed as a single mum with 2 children. I worked at what ever I could find during term time and then stayed home during school holidays, it was a nightmare as I had to find lunch food plus the holiday extras and during the summer think about buying new school uniform and shoes. To be clear I neither smoked nor drank and do not have a tattoo, I didnt even have a car. Anything, just anything that will help struggling parents I agree with. This entitled government should hang their heads in shame.

Excellent petition. Thanks for bringing it here. I'd probably have missed it otherwise.

It wasn't all I spent on food, but it tided us over.

Uniforms and school shoes were a huge expense too.

(This sounds like a rather familiar thread)

It doesn't even cover a fraction of what is spent here, particularly at the moment.
I'm still trying to recover from the uniform fiasco.

CB was a lifeline for us for several years.
It all went on food.