Spotlight Interview - Magic Breakfast
https://www.magicbreakfast.com
- How are you helping to tackle child poverty in London?
Magic Breakfast partners with schools to provide children at risk of hunger with a free, nutritious breakfast each morning. School breakfasts boost children’s energy, concentration, behaviour and overall readiness to learn and can contribute to closing the educational attainment gap. However, we believe that no charity can end classroom hunger alone. That is why Magic Breakfast is also campaigning for long term, sustainable, Government investment in school breakfast provision, to ensure no child starts the day too hungry to learn.
- Share with our members something positive about your organisation’s achievement or service.
We’re particularly proud of how we’ve continued to provide breakfasts to children throughout the pandemic, including during all school holidays. During COVID-19 school closures, we adapted quickly and began delivering breakfast packs to schools and directly to children’s homes reaching 24,000 children. We know COVID-19 has impacted the communities we work with; 48% of our partner schools surveyed reported that child hunger has increased at their school as a result of the pandemic. So we’re pleased to be able to continue delivering breakfast food through the Christmas holidays – hunger does not take a break for the holidays!
- What can other network members learn from you or find out more about through you?
Our bread and butter is supporting schools to set up barrier free, stigma free, hunger focused school breakfast provisions. We have an amazing team of School Partners with years of experience of supporting and challenging schools to address classroom hunger.
We’re also happy to share more information about our campaigning strategy and tactics. We’re currently focusing on embedding youth led campaigning into our work.
- What would most help you achieve your goals?
Magic Breakfast is campaigning for school breakfast legislation – which would guarantee schools the funding they need to provide breakfasts to children at risk of hunger. In February, the School Breakfast Bill will have its second reading in Parliament.
We will be launching a supporter action that enables members of the public to write to their local MP about the Bill. We would be so grateful in 4in10 members could share this action through their networks and help promote the action on social media.
If your organisation wants to be more involved in supporting the School Breakfast Bill then we’d love to hear from you, please drop Jake an email at jake.atkinson@magicbreakfast.com.
- Why did you join 4in10? What do you enjoy about being part of the 4in10 network?
4in10 is a fantastic network that allows for organisations working across London to share knowledge and best practice to campaign more effectively against poverty. Many organisations and individuals in this network proudly supported the School Breakfast Bill in October and we cannot thank you enough for lending your support to help end child morning hunger. We look forward to working with the network in the New Year to continue our shared fight to end child poverty.
