Every morning at the crack of dawn volunteers are busy making a packing lunches to ensure no child goes hungry during the long summer holidays. Operation Bolton Lunches is once again underway to help struggling families while schools are shut during the long break. Bolton charity Urban Outreach launched the initiative 10 years to help families whose children are on free school meals.
In Bolton 12,500 children qualify for free school meals. Every morning during the school summer holidays, volunteers put together a lunch pack before delivering boxes to sites across Bolton, including churches, community centres and libraries. Volunteers include Ethan Matthews, 7, who had help make and stickered 827 ham sandwiches for charity.
Along with his mother and other Urban Outreach volunteers, Ethan had been prepping free lunches for underserved children since 6:45 AM on a day this week (Image: Newsquest) Since the scheme started , volunteers have seen demand increase. Laura Bagley, food team Leader, said: “In the past few years, we’re seeing an increase of children coming in. “This year has a similar number to the last, maybe a bit less.
” She added: “When we start, we don’t know what the demand will be or whether our funding will cover it. (Image: Newsquest) “We have to buy everything in advance and trust that the money will hold.” In the first eight days of this summer’s appeal, the charity has made almost 25,000 lunches.
Volunteers gathered at 6:30 AM, ready to start .
