McCain donates nine tonnes of chips to Leeds families going hungry

More than 9.75 tonnes of frozen chips, the equivalent of 23,000 meals, were donated by frozen potato brand McCain to The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP) last Friday.

Then from Parklands Primary School in Seacroft, and with the help of Northern Containers, South Leeds-based enterprise, Slung Low and various community groups from across the city they were handed out to families who have been failed by the free school meal voucher campaign.

This is the latest collaboration between Parklands and TRJFP who have already worked together to tackle ‘holiday hunger’. In response to the pandemic, families from the school have been taking home two hampers a week worth £60.

Each hamper includes bread, cheese, eggs, unlimited fresh fruit and vegetables, baked beans, cereals and more. The donations are made up of surplus food, donated to TRJFP, and on a Friday the school holds #FundayFreezerFriday where 2,000 bags of frozen food, chips and burgers are distributed to families.

Last Friday's effort was a bumper version and two weeks prior to that, 19.5 tonnes of frozen chips, equivalent to 35,000 meals, were distributed to 10,000 families across Leeds and Bradford.

He said: "Holiday hunger is a big thing in our community, this is why we are one of only a few schools that open up for meals in the Christmas break and in the summer holidays and Easter. Thus when we knew we were on lockdown, we knew food was our biggest worry. Because we do this as 'normal' we were well prepared for COVID-19. 120 families a week during this time have been accessing food from TRJFP throughout the pandemic.”

Adam Smith, founder of TRJFP, added: "The hardship faced by so many shouldn’t be made more difficult by not having access to food, especially in an age where surplus is generated on such vast levels. This is simply people coming together to try and do the right thing and empower the young people to keep being positive."

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