Free School Meals for thousands of children this May Spring Bank Holiday

We have announced that we will continue our commitment to support thousands of children and young people with free food vouchers during the May Spring Bank Holiday to stop “holiday hunger” as the coronavirus continues to impact families.

We recognise that many families continue to face financial difficulties because of the pandemic and in support we have committed to also providing vouchers for the children who are eligible for free school meals and those who access social care or Multi Agency Support Team, or get income assessed Early Years support over the upcoming May Spring Bank Holiday.

This forms part of our Covid-19 emergency response that also saw food vouchers issued to families during the October, Christmas, February and Easter holidays.

Families of 31,500 children in Sheffield will be receiving vouchers of £15 per child via a letter sent out this week with details enclosed on how and where to redeem the voucher. Families must activate their code within 3 months, or it will expire. Once the voucher has been claimed it will be valid for 12 months.

Kate Josephs, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council said:

“Although restrictions are beginning to lift and we’re thankfully moving along the roadmap as planned, more than a year on from the start of the pandemic many people are still feeling the strain of its disruption.

“Keeping children healthy, happy and safe is our priority so I am delighted that we can support them again with food vouchers in this way.

“We recognise the pressure many of our families are under financially, but I hope these vouchers will relieve the worry of how to feed their children during the holidays. I encourage everyone who receives a voucher to claim it.”

Jayne Dunn, Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Families said:

“School holidays should be a time of joy and fun for families, but we know that Covid-19 had made life difficult for our families and continues to do so despite the easing of restrictions.

“No family should have to worry about where their child’s next meal is coming from during the holidays and, as a council, we are committed to making sure that this doesn’t happen.

“It’s fantastic that we are able to provide free school meal vouchers once again, to support to our most vulnerable children and families at what can be an incredibly challenging time.”

If you have difficulty accessing the e-voucher website or don’t have access to a computer, please contact your school for help in the first instance. You can also contact the Sheffield City Council Helpline on 0114 2734567, option 4, then option 3.