One meal a day would make a big difference

A SINGLE mum earning £19,000 a year has told how she struggles without free school meals for her two kids.

The parent, 40, who does not want to be named, has had to cut back on her own food or fallen into debt to pay for lunches for her kids aged 15 and 17.

She told the Mirror: “Their school meals cost me £2.20 a day, but that just covers the one main meal.

“Both my kids eat more than that,

THE MUM

they want drinks and snacks. I probably spend around £20-30 a week on buying extra snacks for them, or give them an extra £2 to £2.50 a day.

“By the end of the month I am usually in my overdraft and have to cut back on my own food.”

She is determined to keep working

to set a good example for her children, but said her friends on benefits are often better off than she is.

After she was furloughed during the pandemic and her income slashed by 20%, she was forced to borrow money from family to make ends meet.

She said: “Getting free school meals would make such a difference to me and so many low-income families like me. Having that extra money would mean I could do more for my children. I want them to get a good education, I want them to do the best they can.

“If I had the extra money I would be able to invest in more help for my kids, I could afford a tutor and all the books and study materials to help them.

“I want them to get good jobs, to break the poverty cycle and not end up in low-income work struggling to make ends meet.”