Nursery World - #StandUpForEarlyYears: Nurseries 'do their bit' and join Marcus Rashford campaign against holiday hunger

Nurseries and pre-schools have been providing lunch parcels to children and delivering meals to foodbanks during half term, as public pressure mounts on the Government over its decision not to extend free school meals during the holidays.

Bebe Laudan, head chef at Fennies Nurseries in Epsom, preparing meals to be distributed by Epsom & Ewell foodbank, which has experienced a 245 per cent rise in demand for its services since the start of the year

Nursery World has spoken to some of these early years providers about how they are supporting families around the country during the pandemic.

Fennies Nurseries, Surrey

Fennies Nurseries has been supplying the Epsom & Ewell foodbank with nutritious meals for children over the October half term and will continue its programme to extend to Christmas holidays.

Bebe Laudan, head chef at the group’s Epsom nursery, has been preparing more than 20 nutritious meals daily, which according to the foodbank, ‘are the first to go’.

Hot meals, including vegetarian pasta or bolognese, and cottage pies, are cooled down, delivered in a cooler box and refrigerated at the foodbank where each package is labelled, with heating instructions and ingredients.

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