Make Lunch - Filling the Holiday Hunger
Free school meals make a huge difference to 190,000 children in Scotland, but when schools are closed so are the kitchens... MakeLunch.org.uk is a network of churches working to fill the holiday hunger gap. In 2012, when the Archbishop of Canterbury asked a group of secondary school pupils whether they were looking forward to the summer holidays that were about to start, they said no, because they wouldn’t be able to get their free school meals while the school was closed.
Because we believe that children should look forward to school holidays rather than worrying about where their food might come from; and because we want parents to look forward to them too, we don't think anybody should be hungry and we’re committed to doing something about it.
Makelunch.org.uk provides training and support in order to help you set-up a “Lunch Kitchen” in your community. Kitchens operate on the understanding that one meal for one child makes a difference, which means that rather than feeling daunted by the scale of the issue, volunteers can focus on providing what they can when they can.
The Kitchens offer a free hot meal to children from low income families. They work together with the schools in their communities to make sure the families that need it the most get invited. Some Kitchens open every day of every school holiday, others might do a day a week, or pick a week or two to focus on. At some, the children get involved with making the food. Others offer crafts, games and other activities. It varies from place to place, but the main aim is the same - providing meals to support families on tight budgets
Lunch Kitchens are run by volunteers, based in churches, community centres or sometimes school buildings. We make sure you’ve got everything covered including insurance, basic food hygiene, first aid and Child Protection. We're also working on a bunch of recommended recipes and menus to help make sure the meals our Kitchens are providing really are the best they can be.
To find out more and how you can become a Lunch-Maker visit https://www.tlg.org.uk/your-church/make-lunch
