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According to Save the Children, 1.6 million children grew up in severe poverty in 2011. This poverty can affect every area of their lives, but one aspect felt most keenly by the child is food. Thousands of children miss out on meals because their family can’t afford them. The free school meals scheme has done something to alleviate this (though the stigma of being on free meals can loom large), as has the recent introduction of hot meals for KS1 children.
Despite this, there are still thousands of children who miss breakfast, either because of lack of money or simply because there isn’t any time. Parents may be rushing to drop children off at school and get to work, so a proper breakfast might be sacrificed in favour of getting out on time. For these children, this can mean anything up to 16 hours without a proper meal, from the previous night’s dinner till that day’s lunchtime. But, there is a way that a church can help out.
St John’s Church in Peasedown runs a breakfast club in conjunction with the local primary school. A club was running in the school, but there was only funding for two days a week, so the church stepped in to provide breakfast for the rest of the week. Andy Stockinger who runs the project said: ‘We stepped in to meet the need on the other three mornings. The headmistress has just told me that they are so impressed that they want us to take over the full week.’
Andy describes what takes place at the club: ‘Anyone can arrive from 7:45 but we wait till 8am for everyone to arrive, as I want us to eat together. We want to instil a family atmosphere. Before we start eating we also pray, not necessarily using Jesus’ name, but a prayer of thankfulness for the food. This will hopefully make them think of not only being grateful but who they are grateful to. We buy branded cereals as not only do they taste nicer but the children also feel appreciated (this has actually been said on more than one occasion). We all sit together and talk about various things, for example school, weekends, birthdays and holidays. After everyone has finished, we go into the hall to have fun and play games.’
The benefits of a breakfast club are wide-ranging. Starting the day with a proper breakfast means that children are more likely to engage with the lesson, allowing them to learn more effectively. But many volunteers, including teachers, say that the time at the club enables them to build relationships and talk about issues that would be difficult to discuss in the classroom. This can also lead to increased self-confidence and better social skills.
The relationship between church and school also improves. Andy said, ‘We have stronger relationships with the children and parents, and also with the school, with more opportunities to have more of an influence, in a non-church school.’
Hull Youth for Christ has been running a breakfast club for over 15 years, as part of their work in a community that is struggling with poverty. The breakfast club provides a meal for children and families who might not have food in the house, enabling the children to take a full part in school life. It also helps the team to create relationships with parents, enabling them to put on a parenting course. For the families involved, the breakfast club has facilitated some big changes in their lives, with children drawing attention for all the right reasons and parents gaining in confidence. For more information about the work of Hull YFC, go to hullyfc.co.uk/w-bclub or find the video below.
Some things to think about
As with every initiative we’ve featured on the schools page, setting up a breakfast club should be part of an ongoing relationship with the school. Like St John’s, you might be able to step in and fill in an existing gap in breakfast club provision. Otherwise, you might need to start something fresh. Make sure you work in partnership with the school, listening carefully to what they need and working within their ethos and guidelines.
Work out how you are going to fund the club. Unlike other clubs, breakfast clubs require a regular budget: even if you only provide cereals and toast, that’s going to incur regular costs. You might be able to work with a local shop or supermarket (as Hull YfC do), who will provide you with the food. Otherwise you could apply for grants or rely on the giving of your local community (church or general neighbourhood).
Make sure you consider health and safety: is your chosen venue suitable? Are you following food hygiene regulations? Can you safely deliver the children to school (if you’re not running the club on school premises)? Make sure you follow your church’s child protection policy.
