Food Insecurity

For many families the summer holidays are a struggle with the children at home 24/7 and no free school meals. Families that are not eligible for free school meals also struggle during the school holidays, with the weekly budget stretching further for food and other basic necessities, with little left for activities and treats. Starting in 2014 with 6 churches, each year Feast of Fun grows.

By 2020 there were 44 Feast of Fun groups providing lots of fun activities and healthy food for 11409 children, young people and their families. This was done in person (pre pandemic) and remotely (at home). 86,676 meals were delivered to those who needed them.

Our Partners

We work with a wide range of partners who support Feast of Fun. For example companies like Quorn Foods which supplies Quorn products and cooking experiences; or organisation such as the National Literacy Trust which supports reading and provides free books.

Where possible, we also aim to ensure that all the children, young people and families have the opportunity to enjoy a trip outside of their community, to places such as North York Moors Centre at Danby, The Bowes Museum, RSPB Saltholme, Kirkleatham Museum, Wensleydale Railway, MIMA and Teesside University.

Our Volunteers

We have more than 300 volunteers of all ages who give their energy and enthusiasm to support Feast of Fun. In 2017 we welcomed a whole new generation of volunteers, older people through Faithfully Ageing Better - people over 50, who shared their time, skills and talents with the children and families to create A Feast of Fun across the Generations

Feast of Fun is a great example of churches, community groups and schools working together to make a difference to family life during the school holidays. Children, families and volunteers know the difference that Feast of Fun makes in the summer holidays, you can watch the film and read our 2022 Impact Report to find out more.

Case Studies

Parent A attended the Feast of Fun provision at a Middlesbrough Church with her daughter aged 9 years. She is a single parent living in one of the most deprived wards in Middlesbrough. Parent A said that the Feast of Fun provision had been a lifeline for her and her daughter.

They had both struggled through Covid – missing social interaction with friends and family – they only had each other. She said that as soon as she was aware that sessions were going to be running, she put their names down immediately.

The days when the sessions had not been on – her little girl had said what will we do today? Parent A said her heart sank as she couldn’t afford to take her anywhere (no work since Covid and struggling to find work as she had no childcare) but remembered that the FOF group had provided them with activity packs to also do at home.

They spent the days doing crafts. The FOF sessions not only provided activities for them both but also allowed them to interact with others. Parent A said to be able to sit and talk with another adult over a cup of tea and a bite to eat meant so much to her, and to see her daughter laughing and enjoying herself was amazing.

One of their favourite activities was working with Quorn – who delivered an interactive workshop. The daughter tried all of the challenges and thoroughly enjoyed it. Parent A was even going to make one of the recipes for tea. She could not thank everyone enough for the warmth they were shown and the brilliant experiences they both had.

Family B consisted of Mum, Grandma, Son aged 8, Daughter aged 6, Son aged 4 and Son aged 2. The family lived together in Middlesbrough in an area high in deprivation. As a family accessing the food bank occasionally, they were told about the FOF activities that were taking place and attended as a family. All children participated in all activities and were smiling at all times. The children were polite and thanked the volunteers continually for their lunch.

When speaking with the Grandma she informed us of how much they struggled as a family to ensure that the children had food and clothing. She said that her daughter struggled with her mental health and being on her own. They did not work and things were hard. They accessed food banks and could not believe that they could have some free items through the FOF provision – the toiletries available were more than they could have asked for. They attended the FOF each day and absolutely loved it. They were sad it was coming to an end.