Filling The Holiday Gap scheme returns for the summer

Published Tuesday, 14th July 2020

Applications are now open for a Hartlepool Borough Council scheme to help ensure children across the town don’t go hungry over the summer holidays.

The Filling The Holiday Gap scheme provides resources to public sector and voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations and other charitable groups to help them ensure that families with school-aged children they are working with don’t suffer acute food poverty during school holiday periods.

This summer, in the light of the overwhelming success of the food parcel scheme operated by Hartlepool Support Hub during the COVID-19 crisis, Filling The Holiday Gap will be giving vulnerable families with school-aged children who are at risk of going hungry a food parcel to last throughout August, complete with recipe cards.

This will be done via the public sector, VCS and other charitable groups, who are asked to identify the number of families they are working with who are in need of a food parcel and then apply for the parcels by completing and returning an application form which is available at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/filling-the-holiday-gap-2020

The closing date for the return of completed applications is Wednesday 22nd July.

The food parcels will then be prepared for the organisations to collect and distribute to the families.

Councillor Shane Moore, Leader of the Council and Chair of the Council’s Finance and Policy Committee, said: “The summer holidays should be a happy time for families, but for some it can be a time of very considerable financial strain. I am very pleased that we are once again able to help our most vulnerable families ensure that their children do not go hungry over the summer.”

Councillor Leisa Smith, Chair of the Council’s Children’s Services Committee, added: “Local organisations play a key role in helping and supporting vulnerable families and I would encourage as many of them as possible to apply for food parcels for the Hartlepool families with children who they have identified would otherwise go hungry.”