City Catering provides meals for 1,800 families in Southampton
The grocery boxes include ingredients and instructions for cooking a range of healthy and low-cost meals to support families over the Christmas break. It is estimated that more than 28,000 meals will be cooked as a result of the scheme.
The boxes include recipes for banana porridge, pancakes with berry compote & yoghurt and veggie potato cakes. Working with local partners Harvest Fine Food, families will start to receive their boxes in the last week of term.
Jessica Clasby-Monk, who co-ordinated the project for City Catering, said: "This project started in lockdown, and has grown thanks to recent funding - we were able to only support approximately 50 families in Summer, and funding has enabled us to grown this to 1,800 this Christmas - we are simply delighted!
“The positive feedback from schools and families has been heart-warming, and we know how needed this support is, now more than ever."
City Harvest has made all the recipes available online as well as cook-along videos to help families replicate the healthy meals.
One family who took part in the scheme over Summer, commented: "The ingredients provided were everyday staples, but I wouldn't have had an idea of how to use them to create a meal, the food boxes and recipe cards were fantastic, very clear and easy to make, also healthy. All the family enjoyed."