Local foodservice provider gives back to children and families in need across Wales during the summer holiday

Over the last few weeks, Bidfood, one of the UK’s leading foodservice providers, has been rolling out its Action Against Holiday Hunger campaign, at nine of its sites across the UK. The campaign aims to support children and those who need it most, by engaging with local communities and supporting their holiday provision projects, fuelling them with supplies and volunteering support.

As part of their Action Against Holiday Hunger campaign, Bidfood Chepstow has been working in partnership with Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris, to support the Swansea Kid’s Lunch Clubfor the past few weeks. The depot has been donating a variety of food supplies to fuel the summer holiday project, as well as seeing employees from the Bidfood depot personally volunteer with Carolyn, to assist the running of the project and delivery of the supplies. The project aims to help support over 6000 children and their families this summer.

Discussing the initiative, Swansea East MP, Carolyn Harris, said: “Quite simply, a lot of families rely on free school meals during term time and are unable to afford the extra food needed for the six week break; this is why I set up the Swansea Kid’s Lunch Club, to help support these families in need. This year will be the third summer of running the lunch club, having fed over 6000 children in each of the two previous years.

“To help run this scheme, we have had to rely on kind donations of food and drink from a number of suppliers and Bidfood have been one of our biggest supporters.  They were quick to answer my original plea and have been proactive in offering help each time I have needed it.

“In the current climate of austerity I envisage that the holiday lunch clubs will continue in Swansea East for the foreseeable future and I am confident that Bidfood will continue to be one of our key providers.”

Along with this, and as part of Bidfood’s Action Against Holiday Hunger campaign, Bidfood chefs have also attended several projects to cook delicious and nutritious meals to feed the children attending the sessions; as well as providing families helpful advice on how to cook on a budget and make a small amount of food go further.

Speaking about the initiative, Nick Sullivan, Head of Sales at Bidfood Chepstow, said: “Supporting the local community is very important to myself and all of our employees here in Chepstow. Children going hungry during the holidays is an increasing issue that affects many communities like ours across Wales, so it is important that as a business in the food industry, we use our resources to support these disadvantaged families in need.”