The Trussell Trust is calling on the Executive to reinstate the School Holiday Food Grant which was axed by the Department of Education last year.
The £27 per child each fortnight was to help 93,000 pupils entitled to free school meals and their families during the holidays.
In July and August 2023, there were 9,581 emergency food parcels distributed to families compared to 6,422 the year before - a 49% increase.
Jonny Currie, Northern Ireland Network Lead at the Trussell Trust, said families on the lowest incomes are being faced with impossible choices this summer.
“The added pressure of providing more meals for children, as well as back to school costs, has the potential to plunge people further into poverty,” he warned.
“While the reinstatement of the School Holiday Food Grant will provide much-needed reassurance to families this summer, it is not a long-term solution. Going forward, we need the Executive to petition the next UK Government for the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee. This would mean everyone on the lowest incomes had enough to afford food, bills, clothing, and other essentials.”
90,375 emergency food parcels were provided by food banks in the Trussell Trust network to people facing hardship across Northern Ireland in the past 12 months.
Three quarters (60,831) of these parcels were for families with children.
The Trussell Trust is also urging the Executive to deliver an anti-poverty strategy and to prioritise policies that will protect people from poverty and destitution.
