A trailblazing charity has announced that it will double its funding to support the provision of school meals again this year, and will be focussing all its efforts in North Belfast.
Last year, for the first time, the Belfast Charitable Society agreed to fund school meals in post primary schools across the North to help alleviate some of the financial pressures on families most in need.
This year the Society will be supporting food programmes in 25 primary schools and seven post primary schools in North Belfast, and will make more funding available.
"We hoped that this year the need would not be as great again, but unfortunately it is," said Society Chair David Watters.
"Basic essentials like food, heating, warm winter coats and shoes are now just out of reach for some, due to the continued hike in costs of living. It is desperately sad to think that these are the items that the Belfast Charitable Society was funding over 250 years ago as well."
And the Society chief said they were aware of the chronic need across the north of the city.
"We are aware that the need is great in this part of Belfast, so we will also be doing all we can to continue to tackle disadvantage through other initiatives and by raising awareness of the issues in the hope that other funders are able to respond quickly to the need too.”
Ashleigh Galway Principal of Currie Primary School gave the plan the thumbs-up.
"In our school population, over 75 per cent are entitled to free school meals," she said. "With the recent cuts we are struggling to ‘plug the gaps’ for our families in the way we used to. In addition, we have observed that the number of children arriving to school not ready to learn has increased significantly since the covid pandemic.
"This situation is made worse as we are also struggling to provide many additional supports and resources needed. This funding from Belfast Charitable Society will allow us to offer a snack to our children free of charge for the month of January or free school meals for all during this month, which I know is a particularly hard time for families managing on low incomes”.
Bernadette Lyttle, Principal of Blessed Trinity College said staff were always worried about the added impact of poverty in winter.
"As we edge closer to the colder weather, our teaching staff are already fearful for the welfare of the pupils in their classes, who are arriving hungry to school, unable to concentrate, distracted and above all else clearly worried about how their parents / guardians are going to pay for food, clothes and shoes over the coming weeks and months ahead," she said.
"This funding will support hundreds of children, and so in turn hundreds of families, and will undoubtedly make a huge difference. On behalf of all of them, we want to thank Belfast Charitable Society for their continued efforts in tackling this growing need."
