Birmingham-based business The Education Network is supporting families in need across the city by providing food hampers to ensure children do not go hungry during the summer holidays.

Free school meals are essential and for some children it may be the only meal of the day. With as many as 59% of children eligible for free school meals in some parts of the city, the school break can leave them without enough food.

Harry Chase, of The Education Network, raised more than £2,800 during a recent campaign to buy food and other essentials to help families during the summer. This figure for the Hungry Hampers, was kindly doubled by parent company, Meriden-based Pertemps Network Group.

For the last two weeks staff The Education Network team, based in Edgbaston, have been visiting schools, proving food and other essential items in support of school-run food banks, whilst working with teachers and welfare support staff to ensure it is delivered to families most in need.

Marie Quarterman, Managing Director at The Education Network, said: “The need is clear as figures show that more than one in 10 children don’t eat more than once a day.

“Many families are dependent on free school meals to ensure their children are properly fed at least once a day. We work with a school where 88 families are classed as severely vulnerable and, of those, 67 rely entirely on food vouchers. This is why we work so hard raising awareness, funds, and collecting food and voucher donations.

“Pertemps has always supported the communities in which it works, and this is our way of doing something to help those families who may struggle to feed their children over the summer holidays.”