Families will be given vouchers to help feed their children over the summer holidays thanks to a Cumbrian council.
Westmorland and Furness Council has allocated £1.1m for every young person eligible for a free school meal during term-time to continue to receive help with the cost of a meal during the holidays.
Vouchers worth £3.45 are being issued to parents of eligible children for each weekday through the summer holidays.
The vouchers are issued through the child’s school and can be redeemed for food at all main supermarkets, including Asda, Aldi, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Around 5,200 children in Westmorland and Furness will be eligible to receive vouchers under the scheme.
The summer holiday fund follows on from a similar voucher scheme the council offered over the Easter holidays.
Westmorland and Furness Council’s cabinet member for housing and homelessness Judith Derbyshire said: “The fact we are having to do this is very sad. No child should be facing hunger. But we recognise that rising costs, from mortgage rates to food prices, are putting a real strain on many families and we hope this voucher scheme, alongside other measures we have put in place will help to ease that a little for those most in need in our communities.’’
Cash from the Household Support Fund, allocated to councils by the Government, will also be used for initiatives including a holiday activity and food programme and a care leaver support package – including emergency one-off discretionary payments for food, utilities bills and other essentials – providing extra support for foster carers and funding grants towards the cost of school uniforms.
