Congratulations are in order for all those who donated to, and have been involved with making sure kids in Ventnor on free school meals do not go hungry during half term.
Kirsty Chapman from the Better Days Cafe instigated a fundraiser earlier in the week, after it was discovered that because of a change in how funding could be used, the food school holiday voucher scheme for those on free school meals had been withdrawn by Isle of Wight council.
Twelve hours of the fundraiser being announced more than £700 had been raised, rising to a whopping £1,980 within a few days.
900+ free lunches – just pop in
Now, thanks to the donations made and a hefty discount from Morrisons, more than 900 free lunches are available for children in the coming week.
Many parents have already pre-ordered lunches, but Kirsty says that any kids that need a free lunch can pop onto the Better Days Cafe (next door to Tesco on Ventnor’s High Street) to pick one up Monday-Saturday.
Heroic efforts
Three cheers are certainly well deserved for the four volunteers who have worked hard to help make this happen.
Not only shopping for the huge amount of food needed, but then also packing the bags, ready for collection.
Well done also to Andy, Julie, Vikki, Simon and the team at Morrisons Lake for offering advice, calculations, lifting, packing and trolley-pushing without hesitation.
Vouchers from the Town Council
After schools wrote to parents advising them about the end of the scheme, Ventnor Town Council mobilised to ensure children on free school meals at St Francis Primary School and Island Free School were given £12 food vouchers.
Food vouchers to now be issued
The Isle of Wight council later u-turned on their decision to withdraw the food vouchers, and are now offering food vouchers for children on free school meals.
However, some parents have shared stories of the system crashing and being told they would not get the vouchers for a couple of weeks (after kids have already gone hungry over half term).
Show your support
You can show your support for the team at Better Days Cafe by popping into the cafe and ordering something to eat and drink. They are open daily, Monday to Saturday 10am-4pm.
On 4th June they’ll be holding a 1950’s-style tea party in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
They can be found opposite the Central Car Park (next to Tesco). You can’t miss it as the building has just been given a new coat of mint green paint.
Article edit
6.50pm 29th May 2022 – Names of Morrisons staff added
