Hey There
Meals & More is a catalyst for positive change, bringing likeminded people together, creating the opportunity to improve life chances, contributing to happier, healthier children and families. Through provision of nutritious food, enriching education and physical activities, Meals & More partnerships contribute to supportive environments, boosting health, self-belief and aspirations.
Our mission is to provide support to children who live with poverty and social isolation and have limited access to adequate food provision and activity throughout school holiday periods.
We have grown from supporting 4 clubs in 2015 to now partnering with over 40 UK charitable organisations and over 300 clubs.
Meals & More has supported the delivery of over 2.1 million meals to date and aim to provide funding for 2.5 million by 2025. We are focused on developing sustainable working partnerships with registered charities to run fully inclusive holiday clubs that underpin our aims and makes a difference to each child we reach.
We believe that every child matters and deserves a good start in life, not only at school but throughout the year.
Our Delivery Partners have a clear understanding of the Meals & More aims and collective challenges. We embrace all opportunities to work with organisations and businesses that have similar goals and share our aspiration to make a difference.
Our Mission
Our Strategy
Supporting children, feeding minds, and creating memories during school holidays!
Meals & More helps children and young people eat well and be well through school holidays providing grants to local community organisations.
The Social Mobility Commission reported in 2020 on the finding of the Institute of Fiscal studies, highlighting that child poverty rates are projected to increase to 5.2 million by 2022.
This means that every evening during the school holidays in the UK upward of 5 million children are at risk of going to bed hungry or missing out on the opportunities to experience what children who live in more affluent areas of the country experience.
We believe this is wrong and that every child matters and deserves a good start in life, not only at school but throughout the year
Imagine waking up on the first day of the summer holidays, with nothing to look forward to for the next six weeks, you know some of your friends are going away, but you know that mum has very little money.
Imagine as a 10-year-old that living in poverty is now the norm. You don’t ask for things as you know that mum is stressed about buying the basics and putting food on the table.
Imagine that when you open the food cupboard the shelves are empty and there’s only milk in the fridge. Imagine having to say no to your friends all the time when they ask if you can go to on a trip, to the cinema or to the park as you don’t have enough to pay even the bus fare.
Imagine that this happens every day of every school holiday…
Whilst it can be difficult to imagine, this is reality for thousands of children each day.
Children are the group most likely to be in poverty.
Child poverty has been rising in absolute and relative terms for nearly a decade.
The challenges that many families face are real.
We aim and can make a difference to children’s lives in the communities that need support
Our Strategic Objectives
1. To engage additional partners and support in delivery
2. To support the provision of 2.5 million meals by 2025
3. To engage with and support the club activities
How will we achieve this?
Engage additional partners and support in delivery
Our delivery partners base has grown from 9 in 2019 to 47 in 2024.
The criteria for engagement and support are that all must be a registered charity and be in either education, sport or be a local community organisation. The focus will be on areas of high social deprivation where need is greatest.
Robust research is carried out on any application and support is offered and reviewed annually to ensure sustainability of the charity.
Grants are awarded based on meals and activity provided.
This approach and mechanism have proven successful and will continue for new delivery partners.
New delivery partners will be identified and considered through various routes, application via the Meals & More website, social media and referrals made by Trustees, ambassadors, supporters, and regional connections.
Support the provision of 2.5 million meals by 2025
Develop and deliver against annual action plan identifying aims and resources to meet the goal.
Connect and collaborate with our delivery partners to agree sustainable growth of funded meal numbers.
Identify and build capacity with existing delivery partner base.
Review outcomes, cost of delivery and apply grants appropriate to delivery partner need.
To engage with and support activities in clubs
We will identify opportunities with delivery partners to improve the level of support and range
of activity.
Focus on interventions that are engaging, inspiring, inclusive, and fun.
That assist in development of education, fitness, and health & well-being.
