Blackburn Youth Zone continued to give out FREE meals over October half-term
Blackburn Youth Zone pledged to feed disadvantaged children over the school holidays as they joined a wave of public support for a campaign led by the England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rahsford.
Following the news that central Government food schemes will not be available for families during the October half-term holiday, Blackburn Youth Zone took swift action to ensure nobody goes without.
A young person from Blackburn Youth Zone said:
“I really appreciate Blackburn Youth Zone giving us food, we never take it for granted. We just want a hot meal.”
Official figures revealed almost half of the children in Blackburn are living in poverty, the highest figure in the North West. More than 20,000 children in Blackburn with Darwen borough are living in need, in many cases, their parents will work but struggle to support them. This in turn can lead to difficulties in later life.
Hannah Allen CEO of Blackburn Youth Zone said:
“During the pandemic, we have worked closely with BwD Local Authority and Voluntary Sector partners to ensure families’ basic need of food has been met. Since March we have distributed 23,000 free meals.
This is a challenging time for many young people and we understand half terms can put more pressure on families. Over the October half term, we provided free holiday provision, our usual clubs and free meals to any member who needed our support.”
Please email enquiries@blackburnyz.org for more information
