A scheme in East Sussex that provides food for children in low-income families is set to reach more households following £30,000 in donations. Barry Ashley, owner of The Grumpy Cook cafe in Hastings, started offering food to schoolchildren during the summer holidays, funded by these donations.
Ashley now plans to extend the scheme to weekends outside of school holidays and expand its reach to other areas of East Sussex. He received £10,000 through a GoFundMe page and £20,000 via his own website, with donations coming from the local community and internationally, including New York and Australia.
The expansion comes as changes to government support earlier this year have been discussed. The Household Support Fund was replaced by the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) at the end of March. East Sussex County Council stopped providing summer holiday supermarket vouchers for families eligible for free school meals after these changes.
A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council stated that £7.3 million will be spent over the next year to support residents facing financial hardship, including community food support and the expansion of holiday clubs with meals. The Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that CRF guidance allows councils to use vouchers to support families with children on free school meals during holidays.