The survey results showed that 26% of teachers had personally provided food to at least one child during the summer term because they were worried about their welfare. A higher percentage of teachers in the most deprived areas (31%) had given food to children in comparison to those in the least deprived areas (22%).
FareShare is struggling to keep up with skyrocketing demand to support their charities, yet 3 million tonnes of edible food goes to waste on UK farms every year. FareShare works with the food industry to get good to eat food, that would otherwise go to waste, to a network of 8,500 charities across the UK.
George Wright, chief executive of FareShare, commented: "Over the summer, staff and volunteers at FareShare have been working tirelessly to get more edible surplus food out to people who need it, as parents have faced the added burden of childcare costs and soaring food bills while their children are out of school. But despite these efforts, we still do not have enough food to meet skyrocketing demand, and teachers across the country feel they have no choice but to step in to help hungry children.
"Our teachers should be teaching, not forced to fill the gap because the Government stands by and allows this to happen all the while food goes to waste on farms. Food that could be going to the millions of children and families facing food insecurity. A new school term will undoubtedly bring huge demand for our services. We need to see the Government act urgently and show that it takes tackling hunger seriously."