Royal Greenwich, with help from partner organisations and volunteers, ensured that families who usually receive extra support during term time were not forgotten about.  

Hand packed grab-and-go lunches were on offer at six of our library and leisure centres for school aged children - with demand so great that partners asked for more food.   

As well as lunches, hundreds of Take-and-Make boxes were given to secondary school pupils, brimming with fresh ingredients to cook a filling meal at home with the whole family.   

And along with supplying free, nutritious meals to our young people, 10,000 support payments were sent out to households who usually receive free school meals between December and February.   

Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Matt Morrow, said: “I am immensely grateful to everybody who worked so hard to ensure access to food for all young people who needed it this winter.   

“We had a number of initiatives on offer over the last few months, and they have proved vital. Our priority is our fantastic students and making sure that they have the support they need to thrive and flourish.   

“Thanks to the pandemic we all know how prevalent food insecurity is. In Royal Greenwich, we are committed to making it a thing of the past and we will continue to offer as much support as we can to anybody who needs it.”  

Councillor Danny Thorpe, the Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, added: “Holiday meals are not a new initiative in Royal Greenwich, but clearly demand has shown it is more important than ever. We know that half-term can be challenging for some families and that has undoubtedly been worsened by the impact of COVID-19.   

"The feedback we have had on our schemes how just how vital they are, and we will continue to help where we can.”  

The Greenwich Together for Winter campaign brings together businesses, community groups, faith groups, schools, nurseries and volunteers from across the borough to provide food and meals for people and families on low incomes, and company for those who might be on their own this Christmas.   

Greenwich Together for Winter, which kicked off in December, has totalled:   

• 4,410 packed lunches   

• 8,367 Breakfast bags in December   

• 2,436 Take and Make boxes in February  

• 10,000 Targeted payments allocated to families with children who receive free school meals. Payments included a £30 voucher in December and an additional £15 voucher in February.