3739 children in our Walthamstow community are eligible for free school meals.

If this includes your children here's how you can get support to ensure they can eat at this difficult time. This page also tells you how you can help us ensure every child in Walthamstow is fed this half term.

Next week is half term which means our local schools will be closed. For the summer holidays, the Government agreed to provide extra funding for children who would usually receive free school meals when at school. However, this scheme has now been scrapped. This means that that over the coming week, many local families will struggle to feed their kids. Together with three amazing organisations - PL84U - Al Suffa, Eat or Heat and the Salvation Army- we're asking Walthamstow to help us ensure every child in Walthamstow is fed this half term.

If your child is eligible for free school meals and you are worried about food this half term, please see below for details of what each school is doing to help children, or how you can access food this half term if they don't have a scheme in place. You can also find out how you can help this work too. 

Please note this page will be continually updated with information on how to access support so please check back regularly for updates. If you are a local school teacher or governor and have information on this issue to include please do get in touch with us. 

If you are in a position to donate to help this work, please consider helping by taking one of the following actions:

• Donate to Eat or Heat. Food donations are preferable but cash donations are appreciated too. 
• Donate to the Salvation Army, who are asking for specific products. You can find their shopping list here and if you are unable to shop, you can donate money here. You can find out how to drop off donations from 8am on Monday 26th October at the Jewel Road entrance to their shop. 
• Donate to help PL84U- Al Suffa. Email pl84ualsuffa@gmail.com for more information on how to help them or visit their website.  
• Donate to the following schools below who are currently running their own schemes but need support to continue. Details and links to do so are below: 

Please scroll to your child's school to find out how to get support. 

The following schools already have schemes in place to help their pupils. Please contact your school directly if you need support. 

Barncroft Primary School

Not able to provide food for half term but intending to do so for Christmas - you can donate to help this work here. 

Barclay Primary School

Providing food parcels for those who are eligible. Please contact the school directly. 

Chapel End Junior School

Food bank referrals are already in place for those who need them. Please contact the school directly if you are unsure. 

Coppermill Primary School

Food bank referrals can be made for those who need them. Please contact the school directly if you are unsure. 

Frederick Bremner School

Has a scheme in place to provide vouchers for pupils. Please contact the school directly for more details- you can also donate to support this work by the school here. 

Kelmscott School 

Providing food parcels for those who need extra support in these challenging times. Please email:  foodbank@kelmscott.waltham.sch.uk with your student name and form and a parcel will be organised for you. You can also donate to support this work here. 

Mission Grove Primary School and Children's Centre

Has a scheme in place already. Please contact the school directly for more details. 

Waltham Forest College

Providing vouchers for those who need them. Please contact the college directly. 

Whitefield Academy Trust

Providing vouchers for those who need them. Please contact the school directly. 

Whitefield Schools and Centre

Has their own scheme in place. Please contact the school directly. 

Winns Primary School

Food bank referrals are already in place for those who need them. Please contact the school directly if you are unsure. 

If your child attends one of the schools below then you can access support through the following schemes this half term: 

If your school is listed above you have two options.

You can either ontact your school and ask for a referral to Eat or Heat foodbank - you will need to provide them with the following information. We will then organise a referral for you to a local food bank who will contact you with details about when you can pick up your parcel. 

• Name

• Address

• Telephone

• Number of adults/number of children

• Children's ages

• Dietary requirements (vegetarian, vegan, halal)

• Which of the following meats can you eat (beef, pork, chicken, lamb, fish)

• Age group (of adult)

Alternatively you can pick up a parcel from the Salvation Army. Please email Julie.pell@salvationarmy.org.uk in advance to be given a collection slot. Collections will be from the Jewel Road entrance at the following times: 

• Monday 26th October to Wednesday 28th October 10 am to 12 noon

• Monday 26th October to Wednesday 28th October 6pm to 8pm

Please note there are also a number of relief and assistance funds offered by Waltham Forest Council- further details can be found here.