A vital charity which supports tens of thousands of vulnerable children and families in Stoke-on-Trent during school holiday time has served up its millionth meal.
However, the Hubb Foundation says despite the work it has carried out over the last six years, there is still far more to be done – and is calling on businesses to do all they can to help.
The Burslem-based charity works across the city to provide activities and nutritious meals through school holidays.
Supported by a broad range of organisations, and funded by the Department of Education through its HAF programme, its main aim is to give disadvantaged children and their families access to much-needed free provision.
Despite the massive effort so far, the Hubb Foundation’s Chief Operating Officer Adam Yates says it needs further support from the local business community to maintain and expand the invaluable service it provides for local communities into the future.
He said: “We are so grateful to all the companies and organisations who have supported us so far as we reach the millionth meal mark. But the fact we have reached this milestone in less than six years only goes to show the size of the problem we face.
“I believe we have only seen the tip of the iceberg and we need to step up the help we provide for children and families across the city.
“That is why we need businesses of all shapes and sizes to step forward and help us out. This could be in the form of direct funding or through projects and activities that tap into their area of expertise and will benefit communities. Every bit of help will make a difference.”
Adam’s rallying call comes on the back of some stark statistics which put into perspective the problem of deprivation.
According to figures from Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which Hubb Foundation delivers its service on behalf of:
- Over a third of the population in Stoke-on-Trent are classed in the 10% most deprived in England.
- Over half of the population in Stoke-on-Trent are living in the 20% most deprived in England.
- Over 19,000 children in Stoke-on-Trent are classed as living in absolute poverty.
- 24.7% of households in Stoke-on-Trent are living in fuel poverty, the highest of 296 districts.
- Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) is 6.5% locally compared to the national average of 3.9%
- 15,288 children are eligible for Free School meals in Stoke-on-Trent representing 36.7% of the city’s school population.
Adam added: “Given the situation, it is clear there is so much more we need to do. The funding we get is vital and the support we receive from businesses such as Synectics Solutions, KMF, JCB, GMB Union and Shepherd PR is second to none and we are encouraging others to come forward so we can keep up the momentum.
“We also want to expand the work we do into the half term holidays, as the current DfE funding only covers the main Spring, Summer and Winter holidays. So, there is a massive gap that needs to be plugged”
Companies can get involved by becoming a Hubb Foundation Business Champion with Bronze, Silver and Gold support packages.
The Hubb Foundation calculates that around £1,000 of direct funding will help support 40 disadvantaged children to engage in a free full day holiday session, which involves sports, activities, enrichment opportunities and a hot nutritious meal.
Funding and support is used in a number of other ways as well. For example, £10,000 of direct funding is supporting a Staffordshire University PhD student study to measure the impact of holiday provision on disadvantaged families.
Other companies provide expertise and activities to key into the DFE-funded Holiday and Activities Food (HAF) programme, which is provided by the Hubb Foundation for five-to-16-year-olds eligible for free school meals.
Adam added: “For families who can’t afford to feed their children let alone send them on activities, every bit of support we can give them is an absolute lifeline.”
Can your company help? Please contact [email protected] or one-off donations can be made using the charity’s JustGiving page
