The Mayor's Fund for London - Kitchen Social
The Kitchen Social programme addresses food insecurity and social isolation among families in London, delivering meals and activities for children and young people during school holidays.
An astonishing 700,000 London children experience food insecurity during holiday periods, and this is likely to rise during the current cost of living crisis. Holiday hunger means that many children return to school with an obvious learning and health disadvantage compared to their peers.
Kitchen Social was launched in 2017, and delivers services through a network of community hubs. These hubs provide not only nutritious meals, but also social activities and a chance to teach young people skills around healthy eating, budgeting, and cooking.
There are now Kitchen Social delivery partners in 29 London boroughs. The hubs support families with cooked meals, Take & Make boxes for cooking healthy meals at home, and wellbeing activities.