Feed a Basildon Child at Christmas

What a year 2020 has been, I don’t think even if we had written a line each for our imagined weirdest year we would have come up with what its handed to us.

In my household it’s been tough as we are run two businesses which have been hugely impacted by the Lockdown (a small independent yoga business, a start up cocktail and events business and a furloughed employee of a busy city based bar) – there have been tough times of course, but we’ve also been gifted the most amazing amount of time to spend with our toddler and to discuss an array of subjects.

 

The two main ones:


Black Lives Matters, being a mixed race family, it was something that really hit home to me, as even though I’ve been part of a mixed relationship for 15 years, I still didn’t wholly understand the differences between my life and my husbands – on a day to day basis and also as a child, teenager and young adult. My bias, assumptions and privilege was questioned on many levels and have made me firmly an ally to make sure we can improve some of the ingrained bias that is still to some unknown, and taken as normal.

 

The second is Child Hunger.

 

Marcus Rashfords lobbying of Government to make sure no child was left hungry when Free School Meals were not available, either through Lockdown or out of term time.  Covid 19 has meant that those who may have been just surviving have now been pushed into a more precarious situation, with the choice being between feeding their family or heating their home as we move into winter.

For me, naively I didn’t think this was an issue on my doorstep, but Basildon like most of Essex, has its affluent, living maybe just a road away from those that are struggling financially.

 

When we had our daughter we completed a book which asked what we wished for Aria, independently we both completed this with the word HAPPY. For some children this winter, I’d like them to know the community cares for them, but I’d also like their parents to know there is a community there for them.

 

My end aspiration is to get into schools and teach them how to feed themselves nutritionally well with little money, so they can help their parents and a life skill is learnt. Covid restrictions will not allow this for 2020.

 

Therefore I went back to the drawing board and got in touch with Woodlands School in Basildon who have 386 children on Free School Meals, and after discussion with the schools Lead Practitioner for Pupil Premium, the plan is to provide as many of those children with

 

Small turkey/chicken

2 Kg potatoes

Brussel sprouts

Stuffing packet

Mince pies

Crackers

Chocolate selection box

 

Which would be around £15 per child.

 

So for just this school alone we need over £5,000.