Hungry Holidays: Supporting Families When It Matters Most

Every family deserves to eat well, not just during term time, but all year round. That’s the simple belief behind Hungry Holidays at West Berks Foodbank, and why we work hard every summer to make sure no local family has to go hungry during the school holidays.

What Is Hungry Holidays?

Hungry Holidays is our summer support programme for families with children facing financial pressure during the long summer break.

When schools close, so do many of the routines and support systems families rely on. For many households, that includes access to free school meals, affordable childcare, and the structure that helps keep costs manageable. For households already managing on a tight budget, six weeks without the structure and support of school can tip a family into crisis. Food bills rise, costs mount up, and the safety net that term time provides simply disappears.

The reality is that hunger does not just affect families already known to support services. Increasingly, we are seeing working families who are doing everything they can, often working full time, but who still cannot afford the rising cost of food and household essentials. Many do not meet the statutory thresholds for support, and too often they go without in silence.

Through Hungry Holidays, we provide emergency food support alongside practical advice, signposting, and access to other organisations that can help families navigate difficult circumstances and build longer-term resilience.

How Does It Work?

We work closely with local schools to make accessing support as simple and dignified as possible.

Families who are struggling are encouraged to speak confidentially with their child’s teacher or school staff member, who can then refer them into the Hungry Holidays programme for support through the summer holidays.

That referral opens the door not only to food parcels, but also to wider wrap-around support because we know hunger is rarely the only challenge a family may be facing.

We are incredibly grateful to be working alongside a wide range of organisations who will be attending sessions across our distribution centres throughout the summer holidays, including:

• Citizens Advice
• Samaritans
• Via
• Sovereign Housing Association
• West Berkshire Council “Let’s Talk” team
• ASD Family Help, supporting individuals and families who may be feeling lost or lonely on their autistic or neurodiverse journey

These partnerships help ensure families can access practical support, advice, and compassionate guidance all in one place.

Why This Year Matters More Than Ever

This summer is expected to be particularly challenging for many local families.

Changes in central government funding available to local councils mean that councils across the country are facing difficult decisions around how support is allocated. As a result, the funding previously available for holiday free school meal support is no longer available in the same way.

We know how important this support has been for families, and we are incredibly grateful to be working closely with West Berkshire Council, who continue to work hard alongside us to help ensure that no vulnerable family goes without this summer.

Together, we are committed to making sure families know support is available and that nobody has to face these challenges alone.

Rooted in Our Mission

Everything we do at West Berks Foodbank flows from our mission: Relieving Hunger, Restoring Dignity and Reviving Hope.

Hungry Holidays embodies all three. We want every family who comes to us to feel not just fed, but seen, heard and supported — and to leave with more hope for the future than when they arrived.

How You Can Help

If you know a family who may benefit from Hungry Holidays, please encourage them to speak to their child’s school about a referral.

If you would like to support the programme through donating food, volunteering your time, or making a financial contribution, we would love to hear from you.

Every tin, every hour, and every pound makes a real difference to local families this summer.

• To volunteer: [email protected]
• To find out what food to donate, download the Bank the Food app
• To support us financially, visit the West Berks Foodbank Give Help page

Together, we can help make sure no child in West Berkshire goes hungry this summer.

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