Summer Children’s Food Programme – Glasgow, UK

Key Insights

  • Free meals during school holidays
  • Dignified food assistance
  • Preventing child hunger and malnutrition

Summary

The high rates of food insecurity in Glasgow can be exacerbated during school holidays, when there are no free school meals available for children from low-income families. In 2018 Glasgow City Council began diverting budget from existing family and public sector agencies to fund hot meals and food-based activities for children during the seven-week summer holiday, run by not-for-profit organisations. Since the programme is open to all children, it avoids stigmatising those in need. Parents of many of the 14,500 beneficiary children in 2018 reported positive changes in their children, as did teachers after the holidays.

Citation

This case study version is from the Menu of Actions (2019). Suggested citation: Halliday, J., Platenkamp, L., Nicolarea, Y. (2019) A menu of actions to shape urban food systems for improved nutrition, GAIN, MUFPP and RUAF.

Children eating healthy meal, Shutterstock/Monkey Business Images

The action and its aims

Glasgow City Council’s Glasgow Summer Children’s Food Programme provides funding to third sector/not-for-profit organisations running holiday programmes for school children, to enable them to provide hot, healthy meals and snacks and to develop food-based activities. The programme aims to ensure children from low-income families, many of whom receive free school meals during term time, do not go hungry during the seven-week break.

When it was introduced

The programme was introduced in mid-2018. Following its success, the City Council made funds available for school holidays in 2019 and 2020.

Why it was needed

It was necessary because Glasgow has high rates of food insecurity. The problem can be exacerbated during the school holidays, when there are no free school meals available for children from low-income families. It is a cause of anxiety for parents and, in the worst cases, children suffer from malnutrition and undernourishment.

Who initiated it, who is involved

The programme was created after Glasgow City Council diverted GBP2 million from the budgets of existing family and public sector agencies to fund school holiday programmes. A steering group, made up of officers from various council departments and stakeholders from third sector/non-profit organisations, drew up the aims, funding criteria, and outcomes of the programme. Impact Funding Partners (IFP) is contracted by the Council to assess funding applications and make recommendations to the Council, which then makes the final selection. IFP distributes funds to the eligible organisations.

Impacts to date

During the 2018 summer holidays, almost 14,500 nursery, primary and secondary school children received a total of 131,508 healthy meals and snacks. The programme also fostered social cohesion through fun food-related activities. Since the meals and snacks were available to all the children, the food was delivered in a dignified way, with no stigma attached. Parents reported positive changes in their children, as did teachers after the holidays.

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