City of Wolverhampton Council will deliver food parcels to thousands of families over May half term to ensure children do not go hungry.

The council is sending parcels to 7,711 children from low income households whose families applied for help over half term. 

Each parcel will contain enough items to provide at least 5 lunches per child as well as a selection of snacks and treats. Items will include fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, dried pasta, tinned goods, milk and cereal. 

Parcels will be delivered by council drivers directly to people’s doorsteps during half term. 

Council leader, Councillor Ian Brookfield, said: “We are proud to be delivering nutritious food parcels directly to low income households who are struggling to make ends meet and need that help during the school holidays when kids are at home who would usually be getting meals provided at school. 

“We know that this assistance during the school holidays is a great help as it can be really hard for people not earning a lot of money to suddenly have to find the money to feed the kids when they are home. Getting these parcels can mean that money is available for other essentials like shoes or clothing. 

“We have been careful to ensure that the contents of our food parcels will meet the expectations of families, offering the right mix of food children want to eat that is good quality and nutritious.” 

Funding for the programme has come from the Government’s Covid Local Grant Scheme and City of Wolverhampton Council has decided locally how to best utilise the money to help as many people as possible. 

Eligible families were able to apply for assistance earlier this month and will have been contacted to confirm if their application was successful.