As the mercury plummets and we hurtle headfirst into winter, many families now face a stark choice. A choice that just a few years ago would have seemed unbelievable. A choice between heating and eating. Stories from last winter of pensioners riding around on buses all day because they couldn’t afford to heat their homes to families with young children going without meals because they chose to keep warm were all too common. Welcome to 21st Century Britain. It shouldn’t be like this, but it is - and it’s scandalous.
Before Covid sent shockwaves around the world, we were already faced with unwelcome levels of food insecurity but the pandemic and its economic effects, coupled with a crippling cost-of-living crisis, have sent the numbers of people who don’t have enough to eat into overdrive. Nurses and teachers are being forced to rely on foodbanks, there are reports of increasing numbers of people shoplifting basic groceries and families across huge swathes of the country are unable to put food on the table.
A recent study by the Food Foundation found that there are now four million children living in food insecurity – an increase from 2.4 million in April last year and a truly awful statistic.
These children and young people are at risk of arriving at school hungry each morning. Not only are their tummies hurting from a lack of food but without the fuel their brains and bodies so desperately need, they are tired. Unable to concentrate. Unable to absorb information. Unable to learn. Missing out on hours of education each morning, these youngsters are unable to fulfil their potential.
A study carried out by the University of Leeds found that students who regularly ate breakfast achieved on average two grades higher at GCSE than their peers who didn’t. By feeding hungry children, we can increase their long-term prospects. This is vital, when all of our futures depend on them.
It’s certainly not rocket science. In fact, it’s simple, but so far, the Government has failed to step up to the plate and provide these children with the healthy, nutritional start to the day they so desperately need. Instead, it’s up to charities like Magic Breakfast, which I am proud to support, to do just this.
The charity currently feeds around 200,000 children each school morning in some of the most disadvantaged areas of England and Scotland. These include those at primary, secondary, pupil referral units and special educational needs schools with the simple mission to end child morning hunger as a barrier to learning. What could be more important than nurturing and investing in our children?
I have been lucky enough to see Magic Breakfast’s work first hand on more than one occasion when I’ve visited the schools they work with. Their breakfast clubs are a place of happiness, laughter and a chance for those children to come together with friends and prepare themselves for the day ahead.
Staffed largely by support staff, these are the unsung heroes of our society, rising early to toast bagels, boil eggs and warm the porridge, but through them also come tales of difficulty and hardship. It’s heartbreaking to hear some of the challenges these schools face on a daily basis. One teacher at a Magic Breakfast school said: “The impact of the cost-of-living crisis is really taking hold. The children are coming to school hungry and in need of basic food. Without Magic Breakfast these children would simply be starving until lunch.”
With so many families now struggling, ensuring these children are fed is more important than ever. That’s why I’m delighted that Magic Breakfast is part of Big Give’s Christmas Challenge, which takes place from Tuesday November 28 to Tuesday December 5.
Over the past 16 years, the charity Big Give has pioneered the concept of "match funding": asking funders – typically philanthropists, foundations or companies – to match individual donations to charities. So, £10 from one person becomes £20 for a good cause after being doubled by a Big Give match-funding champion.
It is the UK's biggest match-funding platform, working every day to multiply people's generosity. This is particularly important when the cost-of-living crisis is squeezing charitable giving. This year, the Christmas Challenge is aiming to raise over £30 million in just a week for over 1,000 brilliant charities – and every donation you give to Magic Breakfast during this period will be doubled, feeding twice the number of hungry children and young people.
Just 28p can feed a child breakfast, so as you can see, a little really does go a very long way. Please support us by giving whatever you can to ensure no child is too hungry to learn.
To donate visit search for Magic Breakfast at biggive.org