Family, friends, fun….
That’s what the holidays should have looked like for EVERY child, but unfortunately for millions of families on the poverty line, the closing of school gates over the past summer (and the halting of free school meals) ignited fresh worries around putting healthy meals on the table.
At Fullgreen we believe access to nutritious food is a basic human right. Yet, despite the abundance of food in our world, there are fundamental problems within our food cycles and processes that prevent nutritious veg from getting to people that need it most.
The Hard Facts
- Up to 3 million children in the UK and 13 million in the US are at risk of facing hunger this summer
- The economic downturn caused by COVID-19 has accelerated the number of food insecure families, leading this year to be labelled as the ‘hungriest year in modern history’.
- Hunger amongst children during the school holidays may exacerbate inequalities that already exist between children from wealthier and poorer backgrounds.
- Many kids living in poverty can be reached through programs like free breakfast, lunch and afterschool meals during term time. These meals stop during the long summer break and at risk kids have been impacted further through early school closures due to the Coronavirus.
- Children at risk of holiday hunger during may also suffer from social isolation, loneliness, and inactivity which can lead to negative impacts on physical and mental well-being.
Whilst we don’t have any fast answers to the issue, we do have thousands of nutritious veg pouches and plant-based meals that will wing their way to Feeding America and Feeding Britain Food banks this summer and beyond.
Providing relief for thousands of kids and their families, our pouches will be worked into meals, added to the shelves of social supermarket projects and distributed through food banks across the US and UK.
It’s a small step but one we hope will bring relief to those that need it most with food served in welcoming, inclusive and sociable environments. Places where kids can feel safe, cared for and above all, well nourished.
Find out more about the incredible work these organisations do at Feeding America and Feeding Britain.