Children to receive free breakfasts at home as some families experience food insecurity during COVID-19 lockdown

Three quarters of a million healthy breakfasts are set for delivery to doorsteps of thousands of children across the UK, thanks to an expanded partnership between Magic Breakfast and Amazon

Breakfast packs containing food supplies from Arla, Heinz, Kellogg's, Morrisons, New York Bakery Co and Quaker Oats UK will be delivered for free directly to children’s homes by Amazon

New figures released by the Food Foundation have highlighted the growing issue of child hunger during COVID-191

 

May 11, 2020 - Parcels of healthy breakfast food have been arriving on the doorsteps of thousands of children across the UK, thanks to an expanded partnership between Magic Breakfast and Amazon. 

The children receiving these meals can normally have a free breakfast at school, provided by Magic Breakfast, to give them the fuel they need for their morning lessons.  Since schools closed due to Covid-19, however, the charity has adapted its delivery model, with help from Amazon, to ensure that children from its partner schools can continue to enjoy their Magic Breakfast at home.  

Guided by its partner schools, and with generous support from food suppliers (Arla, Heinz, Kellogg's, Morrisons, New York Bakery Co, Quaker Oats UK), Magic Breakfast has been able to deliver take home breakfast packs to schools or alternative delivery sites during lockdown.  School staff have then been organising for these packs to be collected by families or arranging deliveries to families' doors. 

To help Magic Breakfast reach more children at risk of hunger under lockdown, Amazon, a long-standing supporter of Magic Breakfast, has stepped in to help with its warehousing and logistics expertise. Since the partnership began in 2016, Amazon has helped Magic Breakfast provide over 1.5 million breakfasts to thousands of children across the UK.

A team from its fulfilment centre in Milton Keynes will pack up the parcels of breakfast food before being shipped through Amazon Logistics to the homes of children across the UK.  Between 27th April and 8th May, more than 20,000 children received packs containing two weeks’ worth of Magic Breakfast food, either via their schools, or via an Amazon delivery.

Alex Cunningham, CEO of Magic Breakfast, said: “Amazon staff have bent over backwards to help the children and schools we support. In a time when hunger is a reality faced by many, Amazon is enabling Magic Breakfast to reach thousands of vulnerable children with a healthy breakfast - children who can no longer access breakfast provision at school and whose families may be finding it difficult to provide food under lockdown.  A very big thank you to Amazon”.

The Executive Headteacher of a Magic Breakfast partner school said: “Thank you so much for this valuable support you are offering to our families. It is much needed and much appreciated.”2

Kerry-Anne Lawlor, Country Director of Amazon Logistics, said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing support of Magic Breakfast by delivering breakfast parcels to the doorsteps of thousands of children during this difficult time, ensuring they have a healthy start to the day.”

Amazon will be continuing to offer this free home delivery service to Magic Breakfast for 12 weeks, or for as long as schools remain under lockdown.

 ENDS

 

1 https://foodfoundation.org.uk/new-food-foundation-survey-five-million-people-living-in-households-with-children-have-experienced-food-insecurity-since-lockdown-started/

2 Name of school is being kept anonymous to avoid stigma among pupils receiving food parcels.

 

 

Notes to editors
 

Photo by Joel Chant/Joel Chant

About Magic Breakfast

Magic Breakfast is a registered charity providing healthy breakfasts and   wrap-around support to children in the UK who arrive at school too hungry to learn. The charity works with 480 schools in disadvantaged areas of England and Scotland, normally ensuring that more than 48,400 children start their school day with the energy and nutrition they need to be able to make the most of their morning lessons.

Under the Covid-19 lockdown Magic Breakfast has quickly re-purposed its delivery model, working with its partner schools to ensure that as many of their pupils at risk of hunger as possible can receive a nutritious breakfast, at home instead of school.

Between 27th April and 8th May, over 20,000 children received packs containing two weeks of Magic Breakfast food.  Magic Breakfast also co-delivers the government’s National School Breakfast Programme, with Family Action, and reached a further 55,000 children with breakfast packs in the same time span through this Programme.

Magic Breakfast has launched an emergency appeal #KeepingBreakfastGoing to help fund deliveries to children throughout the coronavirus crisis and the period of adjustment and academic catch-up beyond.  Donations can be made via Magic Breakfast’s website: www.magicbreakfast.com

Twitter: @magic_breakfast
Facebook: @magicbreakfastuk
Instagram: @magicbreky
#KeepingBreakfastGoing