More than half a million free meals provided to low-income families over Easter 

More than 550,000 free holiday meals were given to families struggling with the spiralling cost of living this Easter.

Free meals were provided at community hubs and centres across London a week after the Mayor announced an emergency package of more than £3.5million to fund around 10 million meals for the next year.

The funding includes £3.1 million to the Mayor’s Fund for London and the Felix Project to expand their ready-made and cook-at-home meal provision during school holidays. 

A further £425,000 was given to The Felix Project to allow it to deliver food on Saturdays, as well as during the week.

The London free holiday meals funding follows an announcement in February from the Mayor to provide an emergency £130million for free school meals during the next academic year.

Mr Khan, said: “I’m hugely proud that thanks to funding from City Hall more than 550,000 free meals were provided to families in London over the Easter holidays.

“It simply isn’t right that so many Londoners are struggling to put food on the table due to the spiralling cost of living and food prices. 

“I will continue to do all I can to support low-income Londoners as we build a fairer London for everyone, but it is vital that the Government also steps forward urgently to use the power it has to stop children going hungry during the holidays.”

A Government spokesman said:“We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable which is why we have uprated benefits by 10.1 percent and made an unprecedented increase to the National Living Wage this month, on top of providing record amounts of direct financial support to help families with higher bills.

“Over a third of pupils in England now receive free school meals in education settings, compared with one in six in 2010, and the Holiday Activities and Food programme provides healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families.”

Pictured top: Sadiq Khan with children at a school breakfast club (Picture: PA)