Transforming Communities Together Warwick COVID-19 Response
TCTW have been working together with local schools and churches to ensure children receiving free school meals receive food during the Easter holidays when school provision isn't available to them.
Through school, church and community connections TCTW were able to identify local need as soon as the lock-down restrictions were put in place. The greatest need was expressed through local schools who told us the government voucher scheme for pupils receiving free school meals wouldn't come into effect until after the Easter holidays and therefore children receiving free school meals had no access to extra food during the holiday period which would leave families vulnerable. Our local council set up a brilliant additional voucher offer but it had been overwhelmed and therefore hard to access. Consultation with local parents fed-back it also had limitations if you were 'self-isolating and can't go to collect the payment or spend it at a supermarket or online as you are waiting weeks for a delivery slot'.
We provided a food parcel for pupil premium children at 7 schools with local church connections. Parcels were given to 130 children in the first week of the holidays and 234 children during the second week. Each parcel contained lunch for a week, including pizza, sausage rolls, potatoes, cucumber, carrots, bread, cheese, eggs, ham and fruit. On Good Friday each parcel came with an Easter Egg and an Easter story book.
The parcels were all packed in the safest conditions and the amount of contact made with each one kept to a minimum to make sure we were only spreading kindness!!
The parcels were delivered to schools on Friday's for collection by parents managed by school staff or delivered by school staff to homes . In each parcel was a letter from the local church with some encouraging words.
TCTW would like to thank Louise Fellows for masterminding the project and the Fellows family and New Life Church for helping to make it happen!
