Charity project aims to raise cash to eliminate hunger in Birkenhead

The appeal hopes to raise £1,000 towards Frank Field MP's 'Feeding Birkenhead' project which was originally launched in 2014 after the creation of the All Party Parliamentary Group on food poverty.

Mr Field wrote to the prime minister expressing his concern that food banks were becoming an “institutional part of our welfare state”.

Over the past three years the project has developed into a series of schemes which includes; free meals during school holidays, automatic registration for free school meals, a reformed welfare contract in Birkenhead Jobcentre Plus, hot meals for the homeless and licensing requirements for private landlords to provide cooking and food storage facilities in rental accommodation.

One of Feeding Birkenhead’s most recent projects has been to set up and maintain free breakfast clubs in schools - so far twelve schools have signed up to this initiative where breakfast supplies are free of charge.

The food is sourced from an organisation called His Church which receives supplies from food manufacturers before it becomes surplus.

Each pallet of ‘healthy breakfasts’ costs Feeding Birkenhead £20 and at a recent event the charity was able to collect ten pallets from His Church thanks to donations from the public.

Speaking about the campaign Mr Field said: “Hundreds of children are now able to get their day off to the best possible start by accessing Feeding Birkenhead’s school breakfast clubs.

“This is thanks largely to members of the public who have already donated hundreds of pounds to the cause, enabling schools to receive the healthy breakfast products they need from Feeding Birkenhead free of charge.”

“Every £20 donated to the cause delivers another pallet of healthy breakfast products for children in Birkenhead.”

Local campaigners will also be taking part in the Wirral Coastal Walk this weekend in a bid to raise cash for the charity.

To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/anna-mclaughlin-1