‘Children can’t learn on an empty stomach’
The pandemic has meant big changes for Melton Learning Hub. On top of the charity’s main focus of education and youth activities, it is now running a food bank across the district.
Sarah Cox, the hub’s centre manager, tells us: “When our local council asked us for help, our FareShare membership meant that we could quickly take on this new responsibility. All the children we support are in the vulnerable category, which the Government says must stay in education.
“We’ve been getting food parcels to vulnerable kids during lockdown. Some are on ‘at risk’ registers.
In many cases, we might be the only agency that has had ‘eyes on’ with that child.”
Melton Learning Hub views food as part of the greater education process it provides.
“A child’s wellbeing has to be right before they can learn,” explains Sarah.
“We also educate kids about healthy eating and encourage them to try different types of food.
“We get an amazing array of produce from FareShare.”