Over 30% of parents do not eat so their children can

A study shows that between 30 to 70% of parents on a low income are skipping meals themselves because they can’t afford to buy the food they need for all members of their home. What this allows those parents to do is to save money on their own grocery expenses so that their children can eat instead of them. This is both an ultimate sacrifice by those parents and it also shows the levels of food poverty hitting the UK.

The report from FareShare shows this issue of hunger is hitting all too many families. The number of parents that are not eating averages 30%. However it is almost 3 in 4 who are skipping meals that have an income of under £15,000. Many people just can’t afford to pay all their bills and the food, and the study shows that 25% put off other expenses so they can prioritize food. They can’t stretch their budgets any further to cover all these costs.

This challenge is even greater during the holidays. This is when the children are out of school and do not get any free meals from the government. The family may also have higher bills during this time-frame as well, such as for electricity. So during the holiday period many parents have decided not to eat so their children can.

While some parents are skipping meals, there are even more that have cut back the size of them and limit how big their supper is. The statistics from FareShare show that about 15 per cent of families are eating less so that everyone in the home can enjoy some sort of meal. So this means the child is getting a smaller meal too.

But doing things such as this it can put the child’s growth and development into question as maybe they do not get the vitamins and minerals they need. So while people can save money doing this, there are risks.

About 40% of households are buying cheaper food too. This means the child may be eating a less health meal. Or the quality of the groceries served is just not as high.

Putting all of these data points together, and about 3 in 4 households on a low income are struggling to feed their children, in particular during the holidays. Families are in need of help to buy everything from groceries to pay for other expenses that increase at that time of the year.

What can a parent do to feed their child during summer

Some assistance programmes are available during the summer holiday months. They include many free holiday breakfast clubs in most cities and districts. Parents can also seek a voucher for an emergency food parcel from the Trussell Trust. This national charity can not only feed family for a few days during the holidays, but the food banks they run also are open year round.

By turning to these other assistance programmes from a food bank, it will ensure the child has a meal. It will also help the parents save a few dollars on their groceries. They can then use that cash to pay for other bills or living expenses they have. So a Trussell Trust or independent food bank can help in many ways and has a number of benefits for clients.