‘Our lives would be a complete disaster without free school meals’
Feed the Future: A mother who had to flee her home with her children is clear about the importance of her children getting a meal while at school, writes David Cohen
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Chinua had worked and earned a decent salary her entire marriage and her children had never been given free school meals. But when her husband became increasingly violent this year, she fled with her daughters to a refuge and her situation changed dramatically.
To make change happen, please sign the petition by clicking here
The mother of two, who is a university graduate says: “During Covid, my marriage spiralled out of control and I was living in fear. My husband had become more and more vicious and aggressive and one day I ended up face down on the floor in front of the girls, my face pouring with blood. I realised he had lost all restraint, that I was in real danger and had to leave. I took the children and fled with nothing but the clothes on our backs and found our way to a refuge.”
For Chinua, in her forties, and her children, escape came at a high price. It meant she had to leave her job and that her children could never return to their school so that her husband could not find them. For several months this year, they were supported by the refuge, but now live independently in rented accommodation and the children have started a new school.
Chinua says that for her and her girls, the free school meal vouchers they received during this time were a lifeline. “I went from earning nearly £50,000 a year to zero and having to go on universal credit. It meant I could no longer afford to give the children what they were used to. Treats were out. As were our much-loved pizza nights, where we used to buy frozen pizzas from the supermarket and cook up a treat. We couldn’t even afford that.”
Chinua gets £869 universal credit a month out of which she pays her energy, utilities, food and transport bills, but the big blow was that she also has debts of £25,000 for a house refurbishment loan on which she was paying £500 a month. “I cannot afford to pay off my loan because then we would barely have anything to live on,” she says. The banks have allowed her to reschedule some but not all of this debt – and it has been hugely stressful, she said, and has meant there is not enough money left to properly feed the children.
“The free school meal vouchers have been a godsend,” she adds. “I cannot begin to express how grateful I have been for the free school meals the girls get now and the £90 a month free school meal vouchers they got over the holidays. It literally saved their summer. The vouchers mean that I can afford them the odd treat like a chocolate and a bag of crisps. They go on the street and look for coins. I worry how we will cope over the winter with heating and the cost of living shooting up."
The Independent’s Feed the Future campaign in partnership with a coalition of organisations coordinated by the Food Foundation, is calling on the government to extend free school meals to all children in poverty in England. Currently, 800,000 children live in households on universal credit but miss out on free school meals because their parents earn more than £7,400 a year, excluding benefits.
Chinua adds: “I think of children in households on universal credit who do not get free school meals and I cannot imagine their hardship and how I would cope. It makes all the difference to know that at least my girls get a hot lunch in the middle of the day. We went overnight from being self-reliant to having to rely on the generosity of others. Our lives would literally be a complete disaster without free school meals.
“The government should urgently extend free school meals to all families in poverty. I plan to get back into the workforce as soon as I can. It’s only when you get into trouble and feel desperate that you get to know how important free school meals are to families in distress.”
*Names have been changed
The national domestic abuse helpline can offer support on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the Women’s Aid website. For those in the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments