Cost of feeding children leaves parents dreading summer holidays
Over 70% of families in the West Midlands supported by charity Cash for Kids will go into debt over the school holidays.
Struggling parents are 'dreading' the long school summer holiday because of the extra pressure it puts on their finances, according to new research.
Charity Cash For Kids has been speaking to some of the families its fundraising supports to determine the impact of the summer holidays on vulnerable families.
The survey revealed the cost of extra meals over the holidays affects family finances, mental health, and relationships.
84% of families surveyed skipping meals
Responses to the Cash For Kids survey uncovered a picture of spiralling debt, high use of food banks and community food groups, as well as an increase in anxiety, depression, and feelings of guilt amongst parents who feel as if they’re failing their children.
- 84% of the families the charity supports are skipping meals once a week and almost a third are going without meals on a daily basis.
- 80% are using a food bank or similar community food scheme in order to put food on the table.
- Almost 75% expect to go into debt over the school holidays.
- Around 50% can only afford to buy fresh fruit and vegetables once every two weeks.
Cash for Kids Day, taking place this Thursday 2nd May, will be raising funds specifically to tackle the problem of holiday hunger.
With the cost-of-living crisis still impacting the UK’s most vulnerable families, the charity says that 72% of parents they spoke to expect to go into debt to cope with the added financial pressure of the summer holidays.
Parents struggling to provide hot meals
Paula Gascoigne from an organisation the charity Cash For Kids has supported told us: "Many of the families we support dread school holidays as they struggle to provide healthy, hot meals for their children.
"Parents often feel guilty and ashamed that they are unable to do so. School days are often the happiest for some of our children as they know they will receive a good breakfast and healthy meal at lunchtime."
School holidays affecting parents' mental health
Michelle Porter, a headteacher at a school the charity works with, said: "Many of the parents of our pupils tell us that the lead up to the long school holidays fills them with trepidation and worry.
"The stress of the added financial impact of having children at home with food, extra fuel costs, as well as upcoming uniform costs for returning to school, has a negative impact on their mental health."
Shell Shaw is from Frederick Bird Academy here in the West Midlands - she said: " You've got families that were already struggling financially and struggling to feed their children at school so now the National Free School Meal vouchers has ended we've got families that just don't know how they are going to feed their children when they're not at school.
" Since the vouchers scheme has ended - parents have come to them - asking for help".
Others revealed that they had seen family units break down because of the stress and that children had resorted to stealing from their peers or shops because they believed they were helping their parents.
Sally Aitchison MBE, managing director at Cash For Kids, said: "What we have heard loud and clear from the results of this survey is just how hard families are still finding it to fund the basics and how much they are dreading the approaching summer holidays.
"What should be six weeks of fun, family bonding and a chance to for children to regroup before the start of a school year, is in fact an anxiety filled time of worry for many parents and children alike.
"We’re so grateful to everyone that is supporting Cash for Kids Day this year - their generosity gives us the chance to make a huge difference to the children we help."
Cash for Kids Day is coming on Thursday 2nd May 2nd to support schemes and organisations that are tackling holiday hunger. Find out more at hitsradio.co.uk/cfkday.