Huge Sussex Response To End Child Food Poverty

Monday, 26 October 2020 05:51

By John Warburton @Warblefly

Organisations across Sussex continue to be added to the list of places where free meals for children are being offered throughout half term.

Aside from the parliamentary controversy, the campaign inspired by footballer Marcus Rashford among others has struck a chord in this county.

Official figures show Sussex contains two of the areas in southern England where child poverty is considered to be the worst.

According to government statistics covering up to 2019, and interpreted by researchers at Loughborough University, 37.8% of children in the constituency of Hastings and Rye are in poverty-stricken families, equivalent to very nearly two in five of all those aged 16 or under.

The figure in Eastbourne is 32.6%.

But here, groups from local football clubs to independent restaurants, together with many local councils, are stepping forward to provide free meals for children through half-term, which is this week.

The list of those donating food, preparation time and facilities grows hourly, so More Radio offers these links to both a national co-ordinating website containing information, and to some Sussex-made lists that our team knows about.

We are monitoring these sources of information, to offer new links when we find them.

More Radio's Facebook page is collecting many offers.

PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Programmers "All Of Us Together", a voluntary group, has established this co-ordinating website:

https://allofustogether.uk/

In Lewes District, a councillor has maintained this map:

CLICK HERE

Brighton and Hove City Council has provided this information:

https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/news/2020/half-term-food-help-families

In Bexhill, an independent councillor is keeping a list at this location:

CLICK HERE.

Hastings Borough Council has confirmed its tie-in with the Education Future Trust.

The authority asks anyone in need to call Heather on 01424 722241.

An independent communications company collating data has made a map here:

https://www.kidsmealsmap.co.uk/

There are other many examples of restaurants and other catering providers throughout Sussex providing free food this week — too many to give individual mentions here.

Many local Facebook groups across Sussex this morning (October 26) contain individual offers of meals.

But where co-ordinated maps or other types of lists are made, we are relaying that information.