Foodbank help needed over school summer holidays

Bath Foodbank is appealing for donations of supplies to help families over the summer holidays. The city centre charity has worked with a number of schools in Bath to make sure children don’t experience socalled holiday hunger, as a result of free school meals not being available due to the end of term. Eligible families have received vouchers entitling them to a food parcel each week during the holiday period, but this means more provisions are needed so youngsters can have healthy food throughout the summer. The Foodbank in Bradford on Avon also provides valuable help for low-income families and homeless people, and said its shelves were becoming bare. Coordinator Avril Clarke said: “We are reaching crisis point. In the three years that we have been running, I have never seen empty shelves in the Foodbank. “We are even running out of baked beans. We are very concerned because during the summer holidays there is a greater need for food for lowincome families whose children normally have a school meal.” Meanwhile, Bath Rugby Foundation has launched fun Eat Active sessions for the summer holidays, and will provide a healthy meal for children in Bath’s most deprived areas. Acting delivery manager Dan Hine said: “Eat Active will increase confidence in parents and young people to provide balanced meals. “We know from working within schools in these areas that holiday hunger and lack of positive activities is a big problem, our coaches will be able to continue to develop their positive relationships with the children through this work.” The free sessions take place at Combe Down RFC on Tuesdays and Thursdays and have been funded by a £5,000 grant from the Curo Community Chest. Children aged from five to 10-years-old can take part in a sports session at 11am, followed by lunch at 12-1pm. Young people aged between 11-16-years-old can enjoy the shared lunch at 12pm, followed by sports until 2pm. All family members are able to stay for the meal, for more www.bathrugbyfoundation. com ■ How you can help Add an extra item, or two, to your shopping such as cereal, tins of soup, baked beans, pasta sauces, rice, pasta, tinned meat or fish, tea, biscuits, sweets and toilet rolls. In Bath these can be added to the Foodbank collection points in Sainsbury’s Green Park or Waitrose. In Bradford on Avon these can be taken to the The Hub, Church Street or to its collection point in Sainsbury’s.