PECAN pantry vouchers

Tender description

Southwark’s Winter of Food and Fun holiday programme aims to provide free, nutritious food and enriching activities during the summer holiday to local children and young people aged four to 16 years who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM). The Department for Education (DfE) funds the programme through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) funding programme. One of the main aims of the Food and Fun programme is to support families who are vulnerable to food insecurity during the school holidays by providing free, nutritious food, helping to reduce holiday hunger. This year, Southwark Public Health are keen to explore how to better connect the holiday programme to other Southwark initiatives supporting people experiencing food insecurity, creating pathways into longer term support for families attending the programme. As part of the Winter 2021 programme, we plan to work in partnership with PECAN on an extended pilot project that will distribute free pantry vouchers to all 47 hubs operating over the winter period. We will ask the hubs to distribute the vouchers to families attending their programme. At Peckham Pantry, members pay a £4.50 membership fee per visit to access at least £15 worth of food - including fresh fruit and veg, frozen produce, meat, pantry stables and much more. Families involved in the pilot will get their first visit free when they redeem their vouchers. Keywords: pantry vouchers