Feeding Derbyshire Coronavirus Update Useful information about feeding ourselves and our families during the COVID-19 outbreak Find a local Food Bank Free School Meals and The £15 Free School Meal Voucher Lots of new families will become eligible for free school meals during this period of Covid19 pandemic. Many of these will only be eligible for a limited period (hopefully). In 2018 the Government made a ‘fix’ to the legislation that covers Free School Meals so that it could work with Universal Credit. This fix means that any child that becomes eligible for free school meals now until the rollout of Universal Credit is finished (originally 2022 but now looking more like 2024) retains their eligibility even if their income rises again. This eligibility remains in place until the child leaves school (either primary or secondary). Families who are claiming Universal Credit currently may only need to claim for a short period and probably won’t know they are eligible for Free School Meals, or won’t think it is worth claiming. However, they are potentially losing out on years of entitlement for their child(ren) and additional funding for their school(s) - currently £935pa - £1,320pa. Here is the link for applications for Free School Meals. https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/your-child-at-school/meals/school-meals/free-school-meals.aspx Guidance for schools on Free School Meals Voucher Scheme Launched Make your £15 Free School Meal Voucher Go Further At Home Useful Information for Derbyshire Food Projects You may be interested in this free online interactive workshop on 29th April. It is an opportunity to share ideas and experiences of food-centred community action in response to the continuing COVID-19 outbreak. Eventbrite Please follow the link below for 'Guidelines for Volunteers' working in Food Banks. Guidelines for Volunteers in a food distribution centre (eg food bank) during COVID 19 Please follow the link below to useful information and links for your Food Project. Feeding Derbyshire Coronavirus Update Funding Updates COVID-19 Funding Opportunities for Food Projects Nutrition Advice - how to look after yourself during COVID-19 WHO Food and Nutrition Tips The Association of UK Dieticians Store Cupboard Ideas for Older People Campaigning and Updates No Child Left Hungry during COVID-19 How COVID-19 is affecting how we feed ourselves Five food actions we can all take to get us through the COVID crisis Manage Cookie Preferences