The Good Food Fund, established by Business in the Community (BITC) has launched in Northern Ireland. The Good Food Fund has been designed to help tackle the issue of children’s nutrition; doing so in the school setting.
The Good Food Fund was founded by Belfast Harbour and Danske Bank and is supported by Phoenix Energy, JP Corry, Lidl, firmus energy, Power NI, pwc, SHS Group, SSE Airtricity and Version 1.
According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, “nearly one-in-five people in Northern Ireland are living in poverty, including more than 100,000 children, and 1 in 14 households are in food insecurity.”
Following consultation with primary schools to establish the greatest need, and following input from its Cost-of-Living Taskforce, Business in the Community will run the Good Food Fund until December 2023. Businesses can donate and schools can apply now.
BITC Managing Director, Kieran Harding said: “The contribution businesses can make to society is undeniable. The offers of support through the Good Food Fund in Northern Ireland demonstrate how powerful the collaborative force of business can be.
“Together, we aim to provide support to more than 10,000 young people before the end of the year. We are asking businesses to make a donation to the Good Food Fund that will be used to help primary schools establish or extend a Breakfast Club, provide classroom Grab and Go Baskets, or enable them to procure white goods to help store/prepare food. Any support a business can provide will be very much appreciated.”
Businesses can donate to, and schools can apply for, the Good Food Fund by visiting www.bitcni.org.uk/good-food-fund.
Pictured are (l-r): Paul Stanfield, firmus energy; Laura Wray, JP Corry; Rebecca Dalzell-McCarthy, Phoenix Energy; Simon Little, Danske Bank; Kieran Harding, BITC; Gwyneth Compston, Power NI; Joe O’Neill, Belfast Harbour and Lorna McAdoo, Version 1. Also pictured are catering staff from Holy Trinity Primary School Patricia McDaid, Nell McCallion and Linda Milligan, and students Stefan and Anna.