Plymouth team helps children receive free breakfasts at home as some families experience food insecurity during COVID-19 lockdown
Three quarters of a million healthy breakfasts are set for delivery to doorsteps of thousands of children across the UK, supported by the team at Amazon in Plymouth as part of an expanded partnership with Magic Breakfast
Breakfast packs containing food supplies from Arla, Heinz, Kellogg's, Morrisons, New York Bakery Co and Quaker Oats UK will be delivered for free directly to children’s homes by Amazon
New figures released by the Food Foundation have highlighted the growing issue of child hunger during COVID-191
Parcels of healthy breakfast food delivered by the local Amazon Delivery Station team have been arriving on the doorsteps of thousands of children across the UK, thanks to an expanded partnership between Magic Breakfast and Amazon.
The team at Amazon’s delivery station in Plymouth will support the delivery of the parcels of breakfast food through Amazon Logistics to the homes of children across the UK. Between 11th – 22nd May, more than 32,000 breakfasts were delivered to more than 2,000 homes in the South of England and London. During this period, each child received packs containing two weeks’ worth of Magic Breakfast food, either via their schools, or via an Amazon delivery.
The children receiving these meals can normally have a free breakfast at school, provided by Magic Breakfast, to give them the fuel they need for their morning lessons. Since schools closed due to Covid-19, however, the charity has adapted its delivery model, with help from Amazon, to ensure that children from its partner schools can continue to enjoy their Magic Breakfast at home.
Guided by its partner schools, and with generous support from food suppliers (Arla, Heinz, Kellogg's, Morrisons, New York Bakery Co, Quaker Oats UK), Magic Breakfast has been able to deliver take home breakfast packs to schools or alternative delivery sites during lockdown. School staff have then been organising for these packs to be collected by families or arranging deliveries to families' doors.
Kerry-Anne Lawlor, Country Director of Amazon Logistics, said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing support of Magic Breakfast by delivering breakfast parcels to the doorsteps of thousands of children during this difficult time, ensuring they have a healthy start to the day.”
To help Magic Breakfast reach more children at risk of hunger under lockdown, Amazon, a long-standing supporter of Magic Breakfast, has stepped in to help with its warehousing and logistics expertise. Since the partnership began in 2016, Amazon has helped Magic Breakfast provide over 1.5 million breakfasts to thousands of children across the UK.
Alex Cunningham, CEO of Magic Breakfast, said: “Amazon staff have bent over backwards to help the children and schools we support. In a time when hunger is a reality faced by many, Amazon is enabling Magic Breakfast to reach thousands of vulnerable children with a healthy breakfast - children who can no longer access breakfast provision at school and whose families may be finding it difficult to provide food under lockdown. A very big thank you to Amazon”.
The Executive Headteacher of a Magic Breakfast partner school said: “Thank you so much for this valuable support you are offering to our families. It is much needed and much appreciated.”2
Amazon will be continuing to offer this free home delivery service to Magic Breakfast for 12 weeks, or for as long as schools remain under lockdown.
