Not only has this year been filled with ups and downs, but to add the thought of children starving on top of that, just places the cherry on top really. School meal programs in the United Kingdom can be traced back to the Provision of Meals act in 1906, where parliament allowed local education authorities to provide nutritional meals to young school children, in state-funded schools. As a child, I was fortunate enough to receive multiple home-cooked meals, including the food which was packed in my pink sparkly lunchbox. Not once did I ever have to think about whether there would be food on my plate, nor did I see the sight of empty kitchen cupboards. However, this is an entirely different story for many children. In fact, before Covid-19, over four million children were living in poverty in the UK, that’s 9 children in a classroom of 30 pupils. When I first read this fact, shocking was the first word that came to mind, followed by guilt and disgust. How on earth could four million children be living in poverty, when we live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
At the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic in April, schools were ordered to close due to the threat of the virus, for some this was a relief to think that there would be no more sitting around in grotty classrooms. But, this posed a more serious threat to many families, whose children were receiving government-funded meals. With this in mind, thousands of parents were forced to bombard helplines in search of the help that they needed. The government responded with a plan, that during term time, schools could support their pupils through alternative schemes such as, food parcels for collection, or vouchers which could be used in local shops. Many families were issued with either an electronic voucher or gift card worth £15 each week per pupil, to spend at supermarkets including Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S. This seemed to be effective for a while, but then when the sun began to appear, and the summer holidays were just around the corner, panic struck.
Initially, the government declared that it would not be extending the scheme during the holidays, but then backed down following the campaign involving English professional footballer, Marcus Rashford. Who as a child grew up in Greater Manchester and experienced food insecurity himself. During an interview, he said, "I know what it feels like to be hungry. I’m well aware that at times my friends only invited me to eat at their houses for their parents’ reassurance that I was eating that evening”. His strong attachment to the issue led him to feel that something needed to be done to resolve the matter. An emotional and heartfelt letter was written to MP’s pleading for local authorities to let vulnerable children continue receiving free school meals during summer. His successful campaign took social media by storm, causing the government to initiate a U-Turn, which resulted in the continuing of free school meals during the summer holidays.
Yay! Progress had been made, and it finally seemed like families were getting the help they deserved. But unfortunately not, as all good things seem to have negative consequences these days. As the bright summer sun retreated behind the clouds, and the leaves began to fall from the trees, winter was established. On the 21st of October, MPs controversially voted against a motion set out by the Labour Party to offer free school meals during the holidays, which would last through until Easter 2021 to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The result was 322 votes to 261. *Starts screaming*. What is wrong with some of the people on this planet? Why would they willing vote against a motion that would help children? I thought I’d include a snippet of the list of all the individuals who voted against the motion, it's up to you how you chose to respond. But I have opted to keep my words to myself, mainly because it would just result in me listing numerous words, which children are taught to avoid.
And you thought it couldn’t get any worse, think again! Amid much anger over the result of the vote, figures resurfaced showing that UK taxpayers (perhaps yourself) collectively fork out as much as £57,000 every week to subsidise food and drink for Westminster politicians. You read that correctly, you are paying for an MP’s lunch, and not just any old lunch might I add, but chargrilled ribeye steak, pan-fried salmon, or even slow-cooked pork belly. It's just completely ludicrous, why should they be receiving meals like that, when many of them voted against free meals for children. If that doesn’t bother you then you have a problem. So how can you help these children and their families? Well, many actions can be taken such as, donating or volunteering at a local food bank or charity, or registering on the #Endchildpoverty map, or become a supporter (which allows you to stay up to date with the movement's developments). If you have been inspired by what you have read and want to make a difference, then you can access more information via the link below. https://endchildfoodpoverty.org Let's stop pushing these potent issues aside, thinking that someone else can deal with them, as actions like this result in no change. Let’s do something about it. Not tomorrow, not a year from now, but today.