The heat is not the only headline this summer. We’ve helped 49 frontline projects to feed 7,000 children during the summer holidays.

We have seen organisations like the Salvation Army cater for 75 children each day only for 150 children to attend, hoping to access healthy food and activities as working parents face rising food bills and the uncertainty of being able to making ends meet.

Four weeks in, our amazing teams in Barnsley and Leeds have provided 12 tonnes of healthy surplus food across 3,773 trays that would have cost vital frontline charities and community groups approximately £20,000 at retail. Something that these organisations could not otherwise afford. Last year we helped 9 groups – five times less than the number we are supporting now.  These groups are providing activities including sport, dance, drama and cooking lessons, to ensure that children are well fed and kept active – ready to return to school happy and healthy.

Gareth Batty, Chief Executive at FareShare Yorkshire, said: “For parents of children who normally receive free school meals or access breakfast clubs, the summer can be a very difficult time to make ends meet. Parents face the strain of added food costs, activities and childcare meaning that many families can struggle to provide food.”

Organisations working in some of the region’s most deprived areas – such as Ad Astra in Barnsley – are receiving nutritious, healthy food such as fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese, meat and juice from FareShare’s Yorkshire warehouse.

Michelle Cooper, one of the directors said: “The summer holidays are a particularly difficult time for many hard-working families, so to have FareShare Yorkshire provide food each week is a vital resource we could not go without. Parents can often struggle to provide their children with nutritious meals throughout school holidays. A lack of time, cooking skills or finances can mean that they provide less healthy choices such as takeaways. But the healthy food we receive from FareShare Yorkshire enables us to get the children involved in making healthy meals from scratch and ensure they are well fed with a nutritious diet throughout the summer.”