Global’s Make Some Noise is supporting charities like Family Gateway which is providing free nutritious meals to disadvantaged families across the North East.
The closure of schools over the past few months has meant that many children, who would normally receive free school meals, are going without.
Working to address food poverty and malnutrition amongst children, Family Gateway is providing three meals per week to feed whole families.
When delivering meals, Family Gateway are also carrying out welfare checks to identify whether further help is needed. This is crucial to address additional pressures that may cause child neglect and affect children’s mental health and wellbeing.
Not all charities have a footballer to step into the breach. Ahead of Global's Make Some Noise Day on Friday, James O'Brien hears from Family Gateway, who support families living in poverty with free meals.@mrjamesob | @makenoise pic.twitter.com/tcD2sv8yAx
— LBC (@LBC) June 17, 2020
Family Gateway anticipates the need to continue their Free Family Meals service until September.
The impacts of coronavirus will be felt long-term for many families now plunged into poverty.
Families that were previously making progress out of poverty will have regressed and need a huge amount of support to build resilience and recover.
The attainment gap is likely to widen as a result of school closures, with the poorest falling behind as many families in poverty struggle with homeschooling. Youth unemployment and anti-social behaviour is also expected to rise as lockdown lifts.
These problems will place even more demand on Family Gateway’s services from families in need of help.
