Bradford Council will give food vouchers to thousands of low-income families with school-age children this summer.
More than 26,000 children and young people are set to benefit from the vouchers, which will help to tackle holiday hunger while they are off school over the summer. Eligible families will receive a voucher worth £75 per school-age child to cover the summer holiday period.
The council will be sending a letter to all eligible families. The letters will be posted out during the week beginning 19 July and should be received by 26 July.
The vouchers can be used to buy food in a wide range of supermarkets. The support is targeted at families with school-age children who get a Council Tax Reduction.
The leader of Bradford Council, Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, said: “We know that many families continue to struggle because of the pandemic and that the summer school holidays will put even more strain on their household finances.
“These vouchers will be a lifeline for the families that are most in need at this time and will help ensure that no schoolchild in Bradford District goes hungry this summer. We also have a range of free activities planned over the summer, including free holiday club places and free cultural and sporting events and activities through our Summer Unlocked programme.
“We hope this support will help children across the district have a happier and healthier summer after a very difficult school year.”
Money for the supermarket voucher scheme, which will cost around £2m, has come from the Government’s Covid Local Support Grant. The Department for Work and Pensions launched the grant in December 2020 to help families that were struggling with food and utility costs. Last month the scheme was extended to the end of September.
Bradford Council used the grant to help the district’s most vulnerable residents with food and heating costs over the winter months.
More details about the food voucher scheme can be found on the council website here.
Hundreds of care leavers will also receive supermarket vouchers. These will be distributed through the council’s Leaving Care Service.
