Half of children who need food banks are under age of 11

Half of all children who needed help from a foodbank last summer were of primary age, and a quarter were under five.
Photo Neil Cross
Ilyas Esmail, Saeed Atcha, Sofia Begum-Ali and Sara Suleman at Jamea Masjid mosque on Clarendon Street, Preston with a small portion of the  food they have collected for the Salvation Army food bankPhoto Neil Cross
Ilyas Esmail, Saeed Atcha, Sofia Begum-Ali and Sara Suleman at Jamea Masjid mosque on Clarendon Street, Preston with a small portion of the  food they have collected for the Salvation Army food bank
Photo Neil Cross Ilyas Esmail, Saeed Atcha, Sofia Begum-Ali and Sara Suleman at Jamea Masjid mosque on Clarendon Street, Preston with a small portion of the food they have collected for the Salvation Army food bank

The statistics have been released by the Trussel Trust, the UK’s largest food bank network, who have warned that children may go hungry this summer.

It comes as the Lancashire Post launches the Summer Bites campaign, urging people to donate to food banks.

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County food banks have said that the summer holidays are their busiest time, as families who rely on free school meals during term time miss out. Chorley’s food bank is distributing packed lunches throughout the summer holidays.

The Trussel Trust research shows that 47 per cent of the children receiving supplies from food banks were aged 5-11, while 27 per cent were under five and a fifth were aged 12-16.

Samantha Stapley, operations manager for England at the Trussell Trust, said: “As a nation, we also must address the reasons why families with children are referred to food banks in the first place.

“We welcome the government’s decision to maintain free school lunches for children during term time – the next step must be to help families during the holidays.”

l For a full list of the food banks in your area, visit www.lep.co.uk