Operation Bolton Lunch is now underway in the borough to help struggling families over the summer holidays. This year the cost of living crisis means demand for the packed lunches has never been higher and the service is open to all families - not just those with children on free school meals. Chloe Wilson reports.
The increase in numbers of families accessing Operation Bolton Lunch comes as no surprise to Urban Outreach, which has provided free lunches for nine years.
Every morning volunteers work from 5.30am to 8.30am packing lunches tobe distributed to families.
Having started off this summer with 2,000 lunches packed on the first day, the team immediately saw they would not be enough and the packed lunches were increased to 2,600 bags by the fourth day.
Laura Bagley, food team leader at Urban Outreach, said: “Nine years ago we found it really obvious that families who had children who were on free school meals weren’t (always) going to get a lunch over the summer.
“That is why we started the project.
"Every year we have realised there is obviously more of a demand.
"This year, although it has been for children on free school meals this year any child can collect.
“We have tried to make the marketing more obvious that any child can collect because we know there are so many people who will be in need of a free packed lunch over the summer holidays, regardless of whether they are on free school meals or not.
“The demand has been kind of what we expected, we based it on last years numbers, so we started off the first day doing around 2,000 lunches and we have increased by 200 everyday so far this week, we are seeing an increase as the summer goes on and hopefully by next week we will have similar numbers each day.
“The message we are sending out is that this is for anybody who needs it, not just if children are on free school meals.
“I think it is really important these services are available.
"I think now more than ever we are seeing a pressure on people like we hadn’t seen before and I think the fact that we have been going for nine years means that we can meet higher demand quicker, we are prepared for the demand.
“We have had an increase in the number of referrals and an increase in the people who have never had to ask for help before and that could be because of job loss or because of just a general squeeze on finances.
“We have seen a higher demand for food in general for our food bank.
“Today (Thursday) is day four, so at the end of today we will have given out more than 9,700 lunches so far, so it has been a lot of hard butty making.
“It is so disheartening, and it makes you so angry that the need and the demand is so high, and it is getting worse for people as well.
“But actually, the privilege we have is that we get to see communities pull together, we get to see people just working together to make sure families and people in Bolton are fed and to make sure people aren’t struggling.
“I feel a mix of anger and frustration and a mixture of just joy and gratefulness that actually people in Bolton are very kind and very generous to make sure that Bolton is looked after.”
Dave Bagley, Chief Executive of Urban Outreach said: “I think it is important that free services are provided all over the country, when you think about it, we give children free school meals when they are at school and yet they go on holiday and somehow, we don’t care.
“Why is it not a 52-week service, I think it is absolutely critical for children.
“In the UK we are in a really interesting situation, we have always given free school meals, it is part of our welfare system and probably one of the best elements of our welfare system, it is food, and it goes to children so it’s a direct need.
“So, we have always had it and I think that is always good, there will always be people who are impacted by so many changes and difficulties, so actually free school meals for the children is absolutely spot on.
“The fact that we are in a bigger mess is something that is not really anything to do with free school meals, everything else is a mess around it, but we will always need to deliver free school meals because there will always be a child who will need that kind of support, so we really ought to consider how we do this more universally and more 52 weeks in a year.”
Whilst taking a visit to the Urban Outreach units at Trinity Park, The Bolton News saw the bustling atmosphere as up to 30 volunteers worked hard to make sandwiches, count stock and pack bags.
One volunteer came to Bolton over the weekend from Stafford for her sons christening, and heard about the initiative the charity was running, so decided to get stuck in and help the cause.
She said: “I came to my son’s christening on Sunday and the vicar was asking for volunteers and I didn’t realise the need and the demand for food, so it was a shock to me, so I thought I am a teacher, I am on school holidays, although I live in Stafford previously I was a Boltonian so yes I have come to volunteer and it is good to give.
“Bolton is a very deprived area, there are a very few affluent areas, being the industrial revolution that it was in the years, people always had food but nowadays it is just the economic downturn and we have hit it, the poorer towns have been hit hard with the recession.”
Tesco colleagues also stepped up to help at Urban Outreach on Thursday morning, July 27.
Matthew Peters, 28, from Ainsworth, said it is vital these services exist for families.
He said: “We have come with Tesco and the reason why I wanted to volunteer is because it helps the community.
“It kind of hits home a little bit to feed a lot of the children and to help out the parents as well, they are the main reasons.
“Services like this are brilliant really, and also I think it brings a lot of the volunteers and people who are out of work and older people who just like to help out in their spare time, it is just a great thing to do.”
The packed lunches contain a roll with either cheese, tuna, or ham, a drink, a brioche or Pain Au Chocolat, some cheese bakes, a yogurt and a piece of fruit too.
There are around 22 sites across Bolton where people can go between 11am and 12pm to collect a packed lunch and people must be of school age between 4 and 18.
The site list is on the Urban Outreach here: https://www.urbanoutreach.co.uk/portfolio-posts/bl_bolton_lunches/
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