Published date: 04 Sep 2024
Hunger does not stop for holidays – Budget 2025 investment is critical to ensure children have access to hot, nutritious meals at least once a day
On Day 3 of End Child Poverty Week (04.06.2024) the Children’s Rights Alliance are calling on Budget 2025 to build on progress made to ensure that no child goes hungry by investing in a Pilot Holiday Hunger Initiative. One means of doing this could be ringfencing €1 million in funding for youth services to support food poverty initiatives in their services at a local level.
In advance of the event that looks at the impact of food poverty on children and young people in the classroom, in communities and in wider society, Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance:
“As schools reopen after the summer holidays, there is a sense of relief that over 250,000 children will be guaranteed at least one hot meal a day thanks to the Hot School Meals Programme running in 2,000 schools across the country. What is part and parcel of the school day in other countries, has become a reality for children in Ireland. Alongside the obvious benefits a hot, nutritious meal delivers in terms of children’s health and physical development, the wider positive impacts go far beyond this. Painting a happier experience of school, teachers and principals note improvements in engagement and learning, behaviour and interpersonal relationships. It is essential that Budget 2025 continues this momentum to if Government are to realise their goal of every child receiving a hot school meal by 2030.”
On the issue of ‘Holiday Hunger’ Tanya Ward added:
“For the children and families who now rely on the hot school meal they get in school, what happens when the school doors close for summer holidays? Or for Christmas? Hunger does not stop for holidays. We saw this in plain sight in our most recent Food Provision Scheme last Christmas, with applications for support flooding in from domestic violence refuges, youth services, education and early years settings. Since 2022, we have distributed over €600,000 in food poverty grants in an effort to alleviate the impact of holiday hunger for children, young people and their families. Those grants supported over 15,800 children and young people, and over 7,000 families across Ireland to date.”
“Our grants and others like them are just enough to keep families’ heads above water but that constant feeling of insecurity is no way to live. It is positive to see the Taoiseach and the Child Poverty and Wellbeing Programme Office researching solutions to this. The first place to start is to look at harnessing the power of youth work organisations, community groups and schools’ networks, that are uniquely placed to support the children and young people hardest to reach in our society.”
Eoghan O’ Byrne, Principal at St Mary’s National School, Limerick speaker at the event shares the prevalence of food poverty in his own school:
“For us, the Hot School Meals programme is a lifesaver. All of our students avail of the programme, and many rely on it to carry them through the day. We also have children who receive their breakfast, a hot lunch and a hot dinner here with us. The majority of our students come from communities experiencing the highest levels of disadvantage in the country. The reality is that sourcing even the basic necessity of food can be an enormous challenge and stress within these homes. As principal, I want to make sure that all my students and their families have the support they need. It is amazing to see the worry of where tomorrow’s lunch will come from be lifted off their shoulders. That being said, when the school closes for Christmas that safety net is pulled away from them. Last Christmas, I found myself in the position of needing support for every single child in my school. We were fortunate enough to avail of the Children’s Rights Alliance Food Provision Scheme which meant I could ensure our students did not go hungry at Christmas. But this is a constant concern of mine in the lead up to every school holiday and I know I am not the only principal who is kept up at night worried about how on earth we will fill this gap. We need to see a long-term solution. We have the capacity to reach these children we just need the additional support to do so.”
Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland comments on the possibility for solutions seen through their food provision grants:
“Through the funding of our food provision grant initiatives across the country, we see the realities surrounding the issue of food poverty consistently. In a country as economically viable as ours, no child or young person should be going hungry. And yet, thousands of children are living below the breadline. Our partners Food Cloud have delivered 300 million meals since 2013. Through the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, more than €300,000 will be used to deliver food hampers to homes over Christmas holidays. It is very welcome to see the continued expansion of the Hot School Meals Programme, but it is only one part of the puzzle when it comes to addressing this issue. The cross-governmental work has been critical to ensure that each department works collaboratively to deliver meaningful measures to ensure no child falls between the cracks. We only implore the political leaders around the table to go faster. Community Foundation Ireland has been able to identify and enable services who are doing this every day, but they need sustained funding to meet the increase demand.”
The event will be streamed live on YouTube Wednesday 4 September 10.30am and will include an opening address by Minister of State for Community Development, Integration and Charities at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Joe O’Brien TD.
_ENDS_
Contact:
For media queries please contact:
Robyn Keleghan: [email protected] / M + 353 85 800 1275
Notes to Editors:
- This is the third event of the Children’s Rights Alliance’s End Child Poverty Week. A hybrid event, it takes place on Wednesday 4 September in The Fidelis Partnership, Hatch Street Upper, D02 N4X2 between 10am and 1pm. Tune in online here.
- Chaired by Emma Lane-Spollen, Social Impact Consultant with a Special Address by the keynote address is given by Minister of State for Community Development, Integration and Charities at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Joe O’Brien TD. The panellists are:
- Keynote speaker: Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland
- Eoghan O’ Byrne – Principal, St Mary’s NS, Limerick
- Nessan Vaughan – Chair of National Social Justice Committee, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Ireland
- Fergal Landy – Chief Executive, National Forum of Family Resource Centre CLG
- Tracie Tobin, Member of Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO)
- Dr Naomi Feely – Senior Research and Policy Manager, the Children’s Rights Alliance
- Children’s Rights Alliance spokespeople are available for media interviews, other speakers available upon request.
- End Child Poverty Week is supported by Community Foundation Ireland, The Fidelis Foundation and the Katharine Howard Foundation. The week-long series of events focuses on five thematic areas of child poverty, the root causes and the best practice solutions needed to break the cycle of poverty for children and young people. Details of the other events are available here.
For media queries, please contact:
Emma Archbold
Campaigns and Communications Director