Holiday hunger in the UK and how Tej Kohli is helping

Holiday hunger is a big problem, made worse than ever by the Covid pandemic

Many of us have fond memories of our summer breaks, having grown up in homes where the holidays meant jetting off somewhere sunny. But, for many, summer holidays mean something entirely different.

What is holiday hunger?

Around three million children in the UK are at risk of going hungry during the holidays. This is a serious issue and many of the higher income families in the UK aren’t even aware of how widespread the issue is.

Holiday hunger in simple terms occurs when children are no longer at school, and no longer have access to free school meals. These meals are usually offered to families on low incomes, and are often the only hot meal a child will have each day. During the school holidays, many children will go hungry, and this has a massive impact on their lives.

Latest developments

There are organisations seeking to do whatever they can to cut out holiday hunger within the UK. The Southall Community Alliance, Tej Kohli, and the Salvation Army have been working tirelessly to stop vulnerable children from slipping through the cracks.

Over the past few months, holiday hunger has become a much more serious issue. Schools have been closed for months – much longer than they usually would be – and so many children in the UK have struggled to get the food that they need simply to get through each day. This has put a massive strain on both the children and their parents, who might have also been out of work due to COVID-19.

This issue was also recently brought to the attention of the government and the press thanks to professional footballer Marcus Rashford.

What are the Government doing?

As a result of pressure from some of these organisations and public figures, the UK government has recently decided to step in and try to reduce holiday hunger this year. According to recent reports, around 50,000 disadvantaged children in the UK will be able to access free meals and activities over the summer holidays. This news couldn’t have come at a better time, as many children are still struggling to regain normalcy as a result of COVID-19.

Holiday hunger is a profoundly serious issue and luckily, there are organisations and individuals who are striving for change. Charities and donors hop that over time holiday hunger will no longer be an issue and children from low-income households will look forward to the summer holidays rather than dreading what is to come.