We Asked and You Answered!

As the sun sets on another Northern Irish Summer, we’re taking a moment to reflect on our l summer campaign, "No Child Hungry this Summer.”  

We have been touched by the response of our local community who have rallied behind our efforts to tackle the cancellation of the Holiday Hunger payment scheme. This meant that families who would normally receive free school meal payments during the summer didn’t receive this vital support this year. 

We asked our local community, politicians, businesses and charity partners to spread our message that no child should experience hunger this summer and that our emergency food bank and other services were open to every family in need. 

We asked and you answered! A team of volunteers went into the community to ask local businesses to display our campaign posters in coffee shops, doctors surgeries and takeaways. A big “thank you” to every business that said yes and helped spread our message far and wide. Politicians and partner organisations threw their weight behind the campaign by sharing our posts on their social media platforms. We even received an anonymous donation of £200. We would like to publicly thank this generous individual and we agree with the note received with the donation ‘Every child should have one nourishing meal a day.’ 

Several families have shared how they have been helped through the "No Child Hungry this Summer" campaign. Families told us they found their way to our doors after seeing our poster in their local shops. Others found us through word of mouth from friends and local charity partners. And, of course others found us through the reach of social media. This community engagement has meant that we have been able to help hundreds of families this summer. 

However, we are acutely aware that the struggle continues. Families still grapple with the far-reaching impacts of the cost of living crisis. The end of our summer campaign does not mean the end of poverty in our community. With your help, we remain steadfast in our commitment to stand beside these families, offering support all year round.