No child to go hungry in Redbridge
Published: 10 February 2023
To make sure no local children go hungry through the holidays, Redbridge Council is continuing to fund free school meals for children this February half term.
If your child is receiving free school meals, look out for E-Vouchers arriving in your email inbox. To find out if your child is eligible or to apply for free school meals, approach their school or visit the Council website.
For every child eligible for free school meals, the school receives additional Government funding, so it is vital all families check eligibility and apply as soon as possible. Once an application has been agreed upon, during school holidays, e-vouchers are sent to the applicant's email or phone, so it is quick and easy to redeem them at most major supermarkets.
In winter 2020, Redbridge Council was one of the first local authorities in the country to pledge to fund free school meals through the holidays when the Government attempted to end the scheme. Locally over 9,000 local children are eligible for free school meals, and this month our Council is investing £140,000 to continue this support through the upcoming half-term break.
Providing free school meals through the holidays is just part of the support Redbridge Council is offering local people through the cost of living crisis, in addition to direct financial awards and funding services that provide crisis support, like food banks and warm packs for pensioners. All available support plus advice and guidance on how to manage bills and mental wellbeing is available on the Council's Cost of Living website.
The Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, said, "No child should go hungry, and in Redbridge, we're making sure they never do, making it easier than ever for families to access free school meals for their children through the school holidays.
Since 2021 we've funded over 500,000 free school meals through half-term, Easter, Summer and Christmas breaks, and we're continuing to do the right thing and help families access free nutritious meals for their children both at school and during school holidays."
