so many places round where i live are offering free school lunches next week

[JamminDoughnuts]

i dont think there are many takers, i dont think there are that many that are entitled to free school dinners.
but it is Such a Great offer

hopefully this is nationwide

Honestly I think a lot of those entitled will be too embarrassed to go and claim meals at random cafes etc.
The beauty of the vouchers was that there was no need to go anywhere or make yourself stand out in order to claim them.

Who would want to send an email saying 'hey can I get some food, I can't afford to feed my kids'

For reference my kids are entitled to free school meals but we declined the vouchers as I can afford to feed my children myself. I am a single parent carer to a disabled child as well as 1 other children and with UC and maintenance we manage ok, not living in luxury but we can eat

All of these businesses surely would have been better off donating to food banks or making packed lunches and delivering them. There are so many and no parent who cannot afford to feed their child is going to walk into a restaurant and get free kids meals while they sit there watching their child/children eat. I'm sure they would be mortified and they certainly won't be able to afford to buy themselves something. A pub near us is doing "pay what you can" Sunday lunch with all money going to a charity (that has nothing to do with food or child poverty). Do they think those who can't afford to feed their kids can afford to pay anything for a lunch out? Once again, people have the need to be seen to do "something", no matter how ill thought out.

Filling the gaps with charitable offerings like a packed lunch collection doesn't hit the right note in terms of dignity. For the vast majority of families, having the money and being able to go to a shop and buy food that they know their kids like is preferable.

I think you'd probably be surprised how many are entitled in your area - people always are in my experience.

One of the best offerings I've seen so far is a cafe that is putting on a special kids menu. It's £2 a meal for kids and £3 for parents. They're also offering free meals to those on FSM and a free parent meal with it. It's all pre-booked and pre-paid either online or by walk in. That way neither the children nor the other diners will know who has paid and who hasn't.

In terms of the law of unintended consequences I wonder if we could see the govt saying they will give out food vouchers to poor families in response to this - and then down the line cutting cash benefits generally or child benefit by the same amount.

[quote Nibor1991]You don’t think there are that many? Every child from reception to year 2 in the country is entitled! In the school I currently work in (secondary) 1/3 of my form class are entitled, that’s more than 30% of children, that’s a lot of children and we’re not in a particularly deprived area. According to the government there’s more than 3million children in our secondary schools. A third of those means that 1million secondary age children are entitled to free school meals.

explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-52098076[/quote]
FSM entitlement is different to universal free meals for KS1.

I can tell you that most people entitled to it won't be going to cafes and claiming free meals. I work with a lot of families entitled to FSM and most would be far too proud to go and beg a free meal, which is how they would see it. Vouchers are different as you can discreetly use them in your weekly shop.
It's a very kind and well meaning effort but it won't hit the spot.

My DD is technically entitled to FSM. Only because UC don't take child maintenance into consideration. I won't be claiming any.

@Serena1977

I fear those that need it will be too embarrassed to come forward and those that don't need it will take advantage.

This is exactly what will happen. It's the same in our school with the give and take foodbank.

@RunBackwards

Yes, there have been loads of lovely offers. It will be interesting to see how many are taken up.

I'm sure the gesture comes from the right place but I'm expecting news of the "wrong" people taking them, groups of young people trying to claim when the suspicion is they're not in need, complaints and poor manners etc, so the worthy people can publicise their good deeds again at the same time as asserting their superiority, but I know, I'm a terrible cynic.

I do think there are children who will be hungry this week, I don't think their parents will be taking them to collect free meals in cafes.

Yep, expecting headlines from certain 'news' outlets such as 'ANGRY mother of SEVEN YEAR OLD child REFUSED breakfast offered, DEMANDED an alternative' with no mention that the kid is allergic to milk and asked if said child could have toast rather than cornflakes etc.

@RunBackwards

You say about people not entitle using them. There was a post about M&S doing a free kids meal when you spent £3 on adult (which is not really the point to start with) apparently someone was complaining that she had 4 kids so what was she meant to do.

Someone had looked at her previous posts on the group and she was asking for recommendations of professional photographers etc etc. Many things that lead you to think actually she really did not need it.

Much as it's great business are doing it I think it would be much better to have a more targeted and structured approach to get the people that need it not those that just think great free food for my kids.

It's nice that these things exist, but fuck me It's crap that they have to. We are being shoved in to an ideological, laissez-faire society, based around fucking philanthropy. Back to the Victorian era, by choice.

I feel for people needing this. I have been on the bones of my arse, with a budget that only feeds the kids and not myself. I wouldn't have taken these free meals, nor food banks either. Not a bloody chance. The shame was too much to even consider it. I know how bad it would have to be for me to start accepting free food and it breaks my heart that others are already in that position.

I'm sure the gesture comes from the right place but I'm expecting news of the "wrong" people taking them, groups of young people trying to claim when the suspicion is they're not in need, complaints and poor manners etc, so the worthy people can publicise their good deeds again at the same time as asserting their superiority, but I know, I'm a terrible cynic.

Lots of places have added caveats, so some need the child to be with an adult, some want to see proof.

The nicest one I saw was, "We only allow one person in the shop at a time so no one will know if you are collecting a free lunch"

Lots of, "I have been where you are" and other encouraging messages.

A lot more are asking for phone calls or emails, and many are delivering.

Thank you for the web link, I've been wanting to donate to one of the places and the other link from Marcus Radford doesn't have one local.

For the vast majority of families, having the money and being able to go to a shop and buy food that they know their kids like is preferable.

Long term yes, I agree but for half term a trip to a cafe or a take away is something a lot of these children see as a treat. Many will have never eaten out or had a take away other than chips.

@Nibor1991

When you say in 'the country' you of course mean in England because universal school meals for ks1 does not apply in Wales, Scotland and NI. England is not the UK, the OP could be anywhere. As others have pointed out though, she is not talking about the universal free school meals anyway but rather the means tested FSM.

@JamminDoughnuts
It's great to see communities coming together where possible, regardless of what the government is or isn't doing, and there might be more children (parents) making use of it than you think, especially if it's done discreetly.