Dudley Council, Dudley Council for Voluntary Service (DCVS) and the area’s public health and wellbeing board put out a call to staff to be redeployed to deliver packed lunches to children identified by schools as eligible for free school meals after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced schools would close from 20 March due to the coronavirus crisis.
Some 5,869 parcels, containing a sandwich, fruit, a healthy snack and a yoghurt were delivered to homes across the borough – averaging around 500 deliveries a day – to ensure families reliant on free school meals did not struggle before the government made supermarket vouchers worth £15 per week available.
I am delivering lunch to children on free school meals staying at home.
— Rachael Doyle (@RachaelDoyle3) March 26, 2020
Heart melting moment when a little girl shouts thank you as I walk away with a huge smile and waves 💕 #InItTogether #heartwarming #gratitude #Dudley pic.twitter.com/aitYflK2eJ
Schools were asked to identify children in need of free school meals with some schools noting just three students and others identifying more than 100.
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Some head teachers arranged to provide for students themselves, said Jill Edwards, public health manager for children and young people.
On a mission again today to deliver 210 meals to children at just one school who would normally receive their free school meal in school. others are receiving meals too. Thanks to grab bags makers and volunteers delivering them. out again tomorrow @HelenEllis_1 @MattBowsher1 pic.twitter.com/wTiz4vyWKk
— nicki burrows (@nickiburrowscvs) March 26, 2020
She added that the biggest challenges faced were communicating with and co-ordinating so many different organisations to include the LA, Schools, catering services and volunteers who have all been excellent and issues related to confidentiality and GDPR.
She said: “We just gave out addresses and not names of families to avoid identification. “Another issue we faced was obviously the safety of our volunteers so we were sure to implement social distancing and infection control protocols.”
Julia Simmonds, service manager for strategic partnerships at the Dudley MBC said organisers had been “overwhelmed” by the response from volunteers.
She added that an established partnership working between the council, schools public health departments and DVCS had helped the scheme to move along quickly.
Despite the volunteer service being planned as a short-term solution to “plug the gap” before government provisions became available, the coalition is now working on plans to ensure children are provided for over the two-week Easter break.
The government updated guidance yesterday (1 April) to state schools should stay open “where possible” for vulnerable children and those of key workers over the Easter break.
However, it adds that free school meal vouchers are only available during term-time and states that “schools can decide how to use their existing food suppliers during the school holidays.”
Edwards said: “That is our next step, we need to sit down and come up with a plan to avoid families going without over the holidays, and we will ensure they don’t.”
Nicki Burrows, strategic lead for children’s services at DCVS, praised the efforts of volunteers, saying: “The response we have seen has been excellent, everybody banded together and some went above and beyond drawing smiley faces on packed lunches, and one dedicated volunteer even bought colouring books and an Easter egg for children she delivered too.
“We just want to say a huge thank you to each and every one of them.”
DCVS are manning a helpline Monday to Friday 9.30 – 12.30 (01384 573381) for those in need to items like food and medication during the coronavirus pandemic and who do not have families, friends or neighbours to support.
