The Good Food Fund has been established to help tackle the issue of hunger in Northern Ireland. It is specifically designed to support primary school children, with the aim of helping more than 10,000 young people until the end of 2023. It provides a safe and secure mechanism for businesses to work collaboratively and provide much-needed support quickly.
We are all acutely aware of the challenges faced by many in our community as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, and many families face significant challenges in providing food for their children.
In consultation with primary schools, we are aware of the stark issue of children being hungry at school and at home. Of particular concern are those schools with a high proportion of Free School Meal Entitlement (FSME). In reality, almost 97,000 schoolchildren are eligible for free school meals.
How will the Good Food Fund work?
We are asking businesses to make a donation to the Good Food Fund that will be used to provide the following to primary schools:
Breakfast Clubs
This is will involve partnering directly with schools across the province to support where impact is needed immediately.
Approximate cost per club is £3k per year to support approximately 65-100 pupils per week. However, schools could offer a lighter touch breakfast club (for example providing food fewer days a week) at a cost of around £1k.
Grab and Go baskets
This will involve Business in the Community directly funding the school from the Good Food Fund to ensure a Grab and Go basket is available to the young people every morning. This has been piloted in some schools in Northern Ireland with success. It removes the stigma attached to breakfast clubs/free meals experienced by some older pupils. Grab and go baskets are placed in classrooms or high traffic areas and include breakfast bars, fruit etc, produce that is easy to collect and eat on the move. Approximate cost per Grab and Go basket is £30-50 per class per week.
Supply of white goods
This will involve Business in the Community directly funding the school from the Good Food Fund to ensure the required White Goods are procured in a fair and cost-effective manner. These are goods that will help safely store or prepare food such as fridges, toasters etc. £50 could buy a school a toaster and crockery/cutlery for a breakfast club, £150-200 could buy a fridge to help with food storage.
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“The contribution businesses can make to society is undeniable. The offers of support through the Good Food Fund in Northern Ireland demonstrate how powerful the collaborative force of business can be.
“Together, we aim to provide support to more than 10,000 young people before the end of the year. We are asking businesses to make a donation to the Good Food Fund that will be used to help primary schools establish or extend a Breakfast Club, provide classroom Grab and Go Baskets, or enable them to procure white goods. Any support a business can provide will be very much appreciated.”
Kieran Harding, Managing Director, Business in the Community
To discuss this project further, please email goodfoodfund@bitcni.org.uk
