Tackling food insecurity

More children will have access to healthy and nutritious food during the school holidays.

Children’s charity Cash for Kids is being granted £150,000 to help local community organisations support children during the school holidays with activities and access to meals.   

The funding is the first allocation of £1 million over the next two years to tackle food insecurity outside of term time. 

This is part of the £1.5 million Fair Food Fund, which supports projects that help people move away from emergency food provision and access healthy, nutritious food through community based activities and support.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell announced the funding while visiting Pilton Youth and Children’s Project, which will provide activities for 250 children this summer. 

She said:

“In a country as prosperous as Scotland, no child should be going hungry.  We already offer free school meals to all pupils in P1 to 3 and families on low incomes, but we know that costs can often rise during the school holidays and it can be a struggle for families to provide affordable healthy and nutritious food as well as fun activities for children every day.

“Earlier this year we announced  an additional £1 million from the Fair Food Fund will be available over the next two years to tackle food insecurity during the school holidays.  I’m pleased that one of my first acts as Cabinet Secretary is to announce that Cash for Kids will be the first recipients of this fund to support their holiday activity.  What they do makes a real difference to the lives of children – and their families – across the country.”

Debbie Fraser, Regional Charity Manager, Cash for Kids added:

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Scottish Government to ensure children and young people across Scotland are supported throughout the summer holidays.  The funding will make a huge difference to holiday clubs and grass root groups and will ensure children have a great experience this summer”.

Background

Other initiatives from the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan include a new national entitlement for the School Clothing Grant, to help with the costs of uniforms and sports kits, and new support for after-school and holiday childcare, helping parents work more flexibly and increase their incomes.

The Fair Food Fund aims to ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families and reduce reliance on emergency food provision.  The fund supports community projects that offer dignified and sustainable responses to food poverty.

The Scottish Government has adopted the ‘Dignity Principles’ developed by the Independent Short Life Working Group on Food Poverty (June 2016) to inform how we direct the Fund.

Further allocations will be announced in due course.