Mayor's Fund for London
Kitchen Social Holiday Provision & wider support for young people
Help tackle food insecurity, learning loss, and social isolation among children and young people by supporting the Mayor’s Fund for London’s Kitchen Social programme, plus activities to boost learning & employability throughout the year. Working with local grass-roots community organisations to provide free healthy meals and a safe place to socialise, learn and make new friends during the school holidays.
It ran from 12:00 PM, 23 June 2020 to 6:00 PM, 3 July 2020
Registered Charity in England and Wales (1124833)
"The Coronavirus has brought us even closer together as a community. It's been a really tough time, but with the support of Kitchen Social we've been able to keep our centre open and get food to local families."
— Community hub staff member
"I learned how to be creative with food and tried so many new dishes, like bean curry, which I would never have had before."
— Young person
"I am so grateful to our local community centre for bringing food to our door and for having food available for collection when we have not been able to leave home".
— Parent
Situation
The 2019 Survey of Londoners shows that 400,000 young Londoners are still experiencing food insecurity. Poor nutrition and isolation not only affect a child’s physical wellbeing, but also their long-term educational attainment and employment prospects, thus perpetuating the cycle of poverty. The Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated this issue due to ongoing school closures, and Kitchen's Social's 100+ community hubs are now more crucial than ever, to ensure local families receive food and supplies.
Solution
Outside of the Covid-19 crisis, Kitchen Social addresses the growing and serious issue of children facing food insecurity and social isolation during school holidays. The programme gives children and young people a safe place to go during school holidays where they can socialise, make new friends and get a free, healthy meal. It’s about much more than just food. However, the C-19 pandemic has meant that we need to radically adjust by preparing & delivering food door to door, and for collection.
