Children’s centres, families and food insecurity in times of crisis

Abstract

We examine how children’s centres in a major city in England responded to food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic by helping to run ‘FOOD Clubs’ to support families. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with children’s centre staff, we analyse how clubs were organised, why people joined them, and the range of benefits parents derived from them. We extend the literature on food insecurity which focuses heavily on the rise of foodbanks. Our data also informs broader policy debates around supporting parents in poverty, effective early years provision and the challenges facing families experiencing food insecurity.

Schools and food charity in England

“…This illustrates how a rapidly growing patchwork of food charity initiatives is developing across schools in England. This acts to further normalise and institutionalise food charity within the education sector and society at large (Baker & Bakopoulou, 2023). Whilst the growth of food banks across the United Kingdom and other wealthy nations has been well documented (Fisher, 2017; Garthwaite, 2017; Loopstra et al., 2018; Riches, 2018), the development of charitable food aid in schools has received almost no scholarly attention.…”