Those aged 25 to 34 appear the most concerned about the additional financial burden of the summer holiday period, with almost one in three (32%) likely to skip at least one meal.
The Trussell Trust’s latest survey finds that almost 1.5 million parents of children aged five to six could skip a meal or more this summer holiday to feed their children.
Adrian Curtis, foodbank network director of The Trussell Trust, said: “Families who rely on free school meals during term time can find themselves facing hunger in the school holidays, when there is an extra financial pressure to provide main meals.
“No one knows the full scale of hunger in the school holidays yet, but these figures make one thing clear: many families are closer to crisis than we think. It should be a wake-up call to us all that so many children will have a parent expecting to skip a meal or more this summer so they can feed the family.
“Foodbanks already provide additional help to families who struggle to put food on the table outside of term time, and our summer pilot of Holiday Clubs is a crucial step in broadening the support offered by foodbanks in the holidays.
“But foodbanks alone will not end hunger during the school holidays; a long-term coordinated solution between government, businesses, schools and charities will have the most impact.”
The Trussell Trust is a poverty charity that partners with local communities to help stop UK hunger.