Hebburn school delivers more than 3,200 meals to families in South Tyneside

A South Tyneside primary school is delivering thousands of free meals to families affected by the coronavirus crisis.
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Professional chefs from the charity’s Café Beam in Gosforth - who have been placed on furlough - are volunteering in the school’s kitchen, producing over 800 meals every week.

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Since March, more than 3,200 meals have been delivered to 120 local families from St Aloysius and neighbouring schools.

St Aloysius pupils Jessica and Daniel Robinson (left) and teaching assistant Jemma Nixon, with husband Carl Nixon the school caretaker, put meals together for the community.St Aloysius pupils Jessica and Daniel Robinson (left) and teaching assistant Jemma Nixon, with husband Carl Nixon the school caretaker, put meals together for the community.
St Aloysius pupils Jessica and Daniel Robinson (left) and teaching assistant Jemma Nixon, with husband Carl Nixon the school caretaker, put meals together for the community.

St Aloysius has funded the ingredients and invested in three chest freezers to keep up with rising demand, with volunteer staff, governors and friends distributing the meals to the community whilst following social distancing protocol.

St Aloysius - which would usually care for almost 500 pupils but is currently open only to the children of key workers - has also partnered with Hebburn Helps food bank to deliver essential food parcels alongside the chef-prepared meals.

Parents have praised the school for its support - with one mum-of-three sending a thank you note that read: “Thank you very much! Your thoughtfulness and generosity is so appreciated. Thank you for helping us through this stressful time. Thank you to all the staff and cooks. We are so grateful for everything.’

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Another has expressed how this service has been a ‘life saver’ for her family.

St Aloysius headteacher, Nick Conway.St Aloysius headteacher, Nick Conway.
St Aloysius headteacher, Nick Conway.

St Aloysius headteacher, Nick Conway said: “We have all recently read that local people are turning to food banks, as the coronavirus crisis has led to many unable to work to feed their families and this confirms what we have seen in Hebburn.

“Currently, we are supporting families in a range of circumstances. They do not need to hit eligibility criteria to access this support, they simply need to ask for it.

“We are very proud of the role we have been able to play to support families in our local area and are thankful for the loyal and generous support from volunteer parents, staff, governors, our local authority, Bishop Chadwick Trust and our wider community.

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“It is a very challenging time for all of us and we are trying to do a little bit of good for people we care about and the wonderful community we serve.”

Paula Gascoigne, chief executive of Smile For Life Children’s Charity commented: “The staff and children of St Aloysius School have championed and supported the work of Smile for Life for many years and we were delighted to be able to give something back. Our much loved Cafe Beam in Gosforth is currently closed due to Covid-19 but our talented staff were keen to volunteer their culinary skills to create delicious and nutritious family meals, making a real difference to so many vulnerable families in the community.”

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