Make Lunch
The scale of holiday hunger is huge, with over 1.5 million children receiving Free School Meals and millions more children living in poverty. It poses an urgent question. What happens to the children in your community during the thirteen weeks of the school holidays? For too many, the food runs out.
But what if your church could bring the answer?
TLG Make Lunch enables and equips churches to bring hope to struggling children through holiday lunch clubs. Each club provides free, hot and healthy meals to children and families who would otherwise go hungry. Through TLG Make Lunch, your church can provide vital support to some of the most vulnerable children in your community and, in addition, build relationships with families in desperate need of the loving support of your compassionate church family.
We’ve seen that churches in every context can provide a lifeline during the school holidays. Since Make Lunch began, our partner churches have cooked and served well over 120,000 meals in more than 100 locations across the UK. All our kitchens are run by volunteers who believe that even just one meal for one child could make a vital difference.
Did you know?
3 million children are at risk of hunger in the school holidays
- Feeding Britain, 'Ending Hunger in the Holidays' (2017)
Did you know?
1 in 5 children in the UK face food insecurity, one of the highest rates in Europe
- Unicef, 'Building the Future: Children and the Sustainable Development Goals in Rich Countries' (2017)
Did you know?
1 in 3 parents from low-income families have skipped a meal so that their children can eat during the school holidays.
- Kellogg's, 'Isolation and Hunger: The reality of the school holidays for struggling families' (2015)
Did you know?
37% of teachers spot signs of malnourishment when children return from the school holidays
- National Union of Teachers Survey on Holiday Hunger
Things had got so bad that my daughter's school had put things in place for us over the school holidays. One of the things we were told about was the Make Lunch club at the Baptist church in town. Make Lunch has turned out to be a lifesaver for us – a complete godsend. - Joanne, mum of one
Find out more!
Our vision is to see TLG Make Lunch clubs transforming the lives of struggling children and families through churches in all four corners of the UK. Start your journey with us today by making an enquiry and downloading our helpful brochure.
I'd like to enquire about running TLG Make Lunch at my church
Download the Make Lunch 'getting you started' brochure (PDF)
Does your church already run a Make Lunch club?
Access your Kitchen Cupboard here!
This is a resource site for Lunch Makers - those of you who are overseeing the running of all our Make Lunch Kitchens across the UK. Log in here to access resources, ideas, recipes, policy documents and more.
To see the real impact that TLG Make Lunch has on the lives of children at risk of going hungry during the school holidays, take a look at these amazing stories of transformation from some of the families we've supported:
Andy's story
When Andy started coming to TLG Make Lunch, his family were struggling financially due to their immigration status. After their lives were so transformed by their church, they continued to show up - but now as volunteers!
Read moreJasmine and Jamiey-Louise's story
For Jasmine and Jamiey-Louise's family, health complications made life exceptionally challenging. Thanks to the support they received from their local church family, the burden of anxiety and stress was lessened dramatically.
Read moreJoe's Story
For 8-year-old Joe and his mum, Davinia, TLG Make Lunch has been a much-needed lifeline as the cost of living rises to an unmanageable level.
Read more
