CHURCH schools within the diocese of St Asaph are a part of a programme to attach families in need of food support with a charity delivering subsidised meals freed from ultra-processed ingredients.
The diocese of St Asaph is working with the charity Well-Fed to seek out schools with ten families in need, who will receive three months of subsidised meals, a slow cooker, and lessons in cooking nutritious meals.
Flintshire in Wales has more children and families living in relative poverty than the UK average: 20.2 per cent compared with 18.9, in response to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Families collaborating within the scheme can be asked to pay £100 towards 12 weeks of food for a family of 4 — and can receive about £650 of food in return.
Well-Fed offers 143 kinds of meals, including cook-at-home and ready-to-eat meals, all freed from ultra-processed ingredients.
The head of education, children’s, and youth work for the diocese, Louise Williams, said: “Many of our schools see first-hand the impact of weight loss program on their pupils, and with the ability to offer this project will help support a few of those most in need in our communities.
“Teachers know the way difficult it will possibly be for kids to learn properly in the event that they’re coming to highschool on an empty stomach. We want our schools to have the opportunity to support the entire family, and this project will help embed the principles and advantages of eating tasty, healthy, reasonably priced food across our communities.”
Meals can be delivered once every week to every school for those families participating within the project. After the 12-week programme, the service will change into available to other families and staff in the college.
The project is being part funded by the Welsh Government’s grant for child-poverty innovation and supporting communities. Flintshire County Council has pledged to proceed supporting food-poverty initiatives despite budget challenges, and is dipping into its reserves to achieve this.
Well-Fed already runs food hubs in 4 churches across the diocese and can be installing a set of refrigerated food lockers for meal distribution outside St Asaph Cathedral early next 12 months.
The diocese takes care of 49 Church in Wales schools, attended by greater than 6000 pupils, across north-east and mid-Wales.
