A government social outcomes report estimates that of the 4.6 million children that live in poverty only 1.3 million children receive free school meals. (The number of children living in poverty is set to rise to 5.2 million by 2022.) The Child Poverty Action Group estimates that only around 30% of school-age children that live in food poverty receive free school meals in the UK- that’s around 3.3 million children who do not receive free school meals and are potentially going hungry. A study published in SAGE journals in May 2018 indicates food insecurity during school holidays can lead to a child’s learning stagnating or even declining, as well as causing suffering to health and well-being.

Norfolk Against Holiday Hunger seeks to provide a voice to all those across the county who find it unacceptable that children in Norfolk, and across the entire country, continue to have to miss meals and face hunger in 21st century Britain.

We commend the brilliant work that volunteers and donors across the country continue to do to ensure that those most in need are not going hungry. But we need to go further.

Our campaign aims are to:
·  Expand the entitlement to free school meals to include families earning above the current £16,200 and to include children of families who have no recourse to public funds.
·  Extend the current scheme to include all school and half-term holidays.

When parents in Thetford were surveyed recently by councillors asking their views about the well-being of children in receipt of free school meals, 100% of respondents stated they were deeply concerned about the suffering caused by holiday hunger.

We undersigned call on all Norfolk MPs to work alongside us by publicly supporting this campaign, pledging to vote in favour of legislation which meets our aims and, if possible, donating to our campaign fund.