Children Being Fed In The Summer Holidays

[bednobs]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53065806
I get all the "people should feed their own children" and "they get child benefit" points. However, I found it strange when I saw this yesterday. Marcus rashford was said to have raised £20m that would provide around 3m meals. That seems really expensive meals to me, seeing as this article says eligible families could get £15 pw which is about 1/2 the price per meal of the top figure. Why the disparity I wonder?

[THECORBYLOON]

A quote I seen said they were distributing three million meals a week but it didn't say for how many weeks.

[ummmm]

It says a 6 week voucher.

[dannyk13]

Quite a few MPs are in agreement with the children being fed through the summer holidays.

[fiction-factory]

Once you start something like it's very unlikely it will ever stop.
£15 a week seems high- I'd have thought a £1 a day would be sufficient- my lunch costs less than that- but I can see the admin and transport costs could easily double that. Does anyone know how the vouchers work- where can they be exchanged?
There was church nearby that used to provide free lunch/picnic bags in summer for what seemed like mainly Senegalese families.

[ummmm]

Less than £1 a day, FF. How do you manage that?

[dannyk13]

Just on the news that the Treasury has put forward £12O,000,000 to assist the feeding of children.

[Mamyalynne]

//Many families have been issued with either an electronic voucher or gift card worth £15 each week per pupil, to spend at supermarkets including Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S.//

I imagine that is what is being extended during the Summer holiday period.

[fiction-factory]

Home made soup cost maybe 30p (carrot and lentil). A banana or apple 20p. Some nuts and raisins -maybe 30p or slice of malt loaf 20p. Water £0.
And some change

[dannyk13]

FF, that is not a substantial meal for a growing child.

[fiction-factory]

Okay- change it to McDonalds happy meal plus an apple, but I know which meal is better

[fiction-factory]

^That's what £3 a day provides

[andres]

What are they doing with their child benefits? I don't know the exact amounts but surely that should be paying for the dinners.

[Gherkins]

The cost doesn't just go towards food. The overheads and logistics are almost just as expensive.

[fiction-factory]

My children were happy with that sort of lunch though danny- say pasta with pesto/cheese plus banana& custard. Many kids eat the wrong thing- obesity is more of a problem. (I see too many monster drinks/cokes, crisps and chocolate bars)

[dannyk13]

FF//Okay- change it to McDonalds happy meal plus an apple//
Would you call a Mc,Donald's meal healthy? Please do not give me another facetious reply.

[Mamyalynne]

The vouchers are to cover the school lunches, with canny shopping and batch cooking from scratch it can be done well.

Many parents may have work commitments that don't allow that easily but it is doable.

[fiction-factory]

Andres- the child benefits don't seem to be reaching some of the children- that's not the children's fault. But I accept there's no guarantee that the vouchers will be spent on the children too

[dannyk13]

Unless things have changed I believe that children had to qualify as eligible for a free school meal.

[Mozz71]

Danny, yes its eligible children, not all children. There was a woman on Radio 5 earlier. Single mum of three with one child disabled. She can't work as she is a self employed hairdresser.

People like andres, poopooing this welcome change, need to wake up and see that some people need this help through no fault of their own. Well down to Mr Rashford for supporting this cause.

[bednobs]

FF happy meals are more expensive than that nowadays :)