Before the government announced their plans for school closures, the Co-op stepped up to provide free lunches for 6500 students who normally receive government-funded free school meals at 25 academies.

All students who receive free school meals at our 25 academies are entitled to a weekly £20 voucher to spend in Co-op food stores. Unlike the government initiative this covers the Easter Holidays.

“For many children who receive free school meals, lunch at school is the main meal of the day, so if school closes unexpectedly they could go hungry,” Co-op Food chief executive Jo Whitfield said.

“We don’t think that’s fair on our students or their families who often struggle to keep food on the table, and it has an impact on the health and well-being of vulnerable families.

“So we’re making sure the students attending our 25 Co-op Academies won’t miss out, but we know this is a drop in the ocean when you consider there are 1.4 million kids on free school meals in this country.”

These vouchers have been making a huge difference to our communities.

Phill Quirk is the Headteacher at Co-op Academy Failsworth in Manchester – “The Co-op Food vouchers have made a real difference to families who really need them at this time. Some of our families have been plunged into crisis over night and the fact that they have some stability offered by the vouchers so quickly has made a significant contribution to supporting them.”

The Co-op offer was ahead of any National commitments and was also offered over the Easter break before any National scheme commitment. This provided huge reassurance to families at this challenging time. Many thanks to the Co-op for this incredible support from all at Co-op Academy Failsworth and Co-op Academies Trust”