THE School Holiday Food Grant payment scheme has been approved, granting crucial financial support to parents and children during the summer school holidays.
The financial support, which will cover the period July 1-August 31, is given to parents of children who are eligible for school meals during the normal term time.
North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín had submitted an Assembly question to Education Minister Michelle McIlveen asking whether she will continue with the mitigations for the holiday hunger programme for all schools and how will she communicate this support to schools and parents.
In response, Minister McIlveen stated: "In November 2020 the Executive agreed that financial support for parents with children who were eligible for free school meals when at school or college would be available for all school holiday periods from Christmas 2021 up to Easter 2022 as a short-term measure to address holiday hunger.
"The School Holiday Food Grant payment scheme for the summer holiday period will cover the period 1 July to 31 August 2021.
"The School Holiday Food Grant is administered by the Education Authority. It is expected that communications regarding the summer payment schedule will issue in the coming days."
The first of three payments will be made into bank accounts on the July 7. If the Education Authority do not hold bank account details for you, a cheque will be sent on July 6.
Ms Ní Chuilín welcomed the news.
“I welcome the Education Minister’s reply to my Assembly question on the details of support for children entitled to free school meals during this summer holiday.
“During the Covid crisis many families came under severe financial pressure and the ‘Holiday Hunger’ initiative was designed to support those families who needed it most.
“Those families with children who are entitled to free school meals qualify for the payment which covers the period from July 1 to August 31.
“The scheme administrated by the Education Authority will be rolling out and information will be available soon according to the Education Minister.
“In areas such as North and West Belfast with pockets of high deprivation and large numbers of children receiving free school meals, this payment is vitally important and many constituents have benefited already.
“There remains much work to be done to tackle deprivation and to deliver an anti-poverty strategy, however this measure is one which gets the resources directly to where it is most needed at a time of this global crisis.”
