One-fifth Of Parents To Miss Meals In The Summer So They Can Feed Their Children

One in five parents in the United Kingdom will skip meals this summer so their children can eat, according to a study by a non-government organization. The summer holidays means that school-aged children will not be receiving their free school meals.

Trussell Trust is an organization working to end hunger and poverty in the United Kingdom. Daily Mail reported that they surveyed almost 1,000 parents and found that parents aged between 25 and 34 were most concerned about feeding their children and more likely to skip a meal for their children. The Trust reportedly estimated that 1.5 million would be skipping meals in the summer holidays.

Summer Holidays Can Mean Hunger

"Families who rely on free school meals during term time can find themselves facing hunger in the school holidays," said Adrian Curtis, foodbank network director of the Trussell Trust, as per a report in Metro. "No one knows the full scale of hunger in Wales during the school holidays, but these figures make one thing clear: many families are closer to crisis than we think," Curtis added.

Curtis said that existing foodbanks are already catering to the need of families who have difficulty getting food even during the school year and that they now have a summer pilot of holiday clubs to extend more assistance. Still, Curtis stressed that foodbanks are not enough and that all stakeholders need to work together to address the problem of hunger.

Demand For Food Increases In Summer

BBC reported that the demand for the 35 foodbanks of Trussell Trust in Wales is highest during July and August. Last year, the Trust is said to have given out out 4,703 three-day emergency food supplies for children during these two months, compared to May and June's 4,415.

Trussel Trust's holiday clubs reportedly to give out nutritious meals, have activities and learning for children and their families and even additional support for families. The Trust has holiday food clubs in its Ebbw Vale, Port Talbot and Llandrindod food banks.