Great result for Filling The Holiday Gap scheme

Published Friday, 7th August 2020

A Hartlepool Borough Council scheme to help ensure children across the town don’t go hungry over the summer holidays has been hailed a success, helping over 800 children.

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 has given vulnerable families with school-aged children who are at risk of going hungry a food parcel to last throughout August, complete with recipe cards.

Public sector, VCS and other charitable groups were asked to identify the number of families they are working with who were in need of a food parcel and then apply for the parcels to distribute to them.

A total of 16 groups applied from across the borough, resulting in 370 food parcels being given out, to help a total of 830 children.

Councillors Leisa Smith and Sue Little called on their friends and family plus some Council staff and volunteers to pack the parcels last weekend at the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) so that they were ready for distribution this week.

Among the comments from the groups distributing the parcels have been: “On behalf of the children from all parts of the town who received your kindness, thank you so much” and “The surprise on the faces of those families receiving the parcels really said it all.”

Councillor Shane Moore, Leader of the Council and Chair of the Council’s Finance and Policy Committee, said: “We are really pleased with the take-up on the scheme and it is really heartening to know that, thanks to this town-wide partnership, we have been able to avoid hundreds of children in our most vulnerable families going hungry over the school holidays.”

Councillor Leisa Smith, Chair of the Council’s Children’s Services Committee, added: “The summer holiday period can put a lot of financial pressure on some families and it is real credit to everyone involved in the project that we have been able to help so many children in our town who would otherwise have been at serious risk of going hungry.”