Theale School supports struggling families with new food bank
Theale Green School is offering food parcels to pupils and their families to tackle the cost of living crisis.
The school has partnered with MCKS and is currently supporting five families in the community.
MCKS is a charity providing food, toiletries and sanitary products to schools across the country.
Senior student support manager and attendance officer, Wendy Sanders, said the charity first sent an e-mail about a year ago explaining they were a food bank charity.
“I knew we had pupils in school we already supported, but felt we needed to also be looking at our parents as well,” she said.
“We started working with the charity about seven weeks before we broke up for the summer. I get a delivery every week of dried goods that comes from either Asda or Tesco and it typically includes: long life milk, sugar, cereals, squash, beans, spaghetti, rice, pasta, biscuits, tinned fish, tinned meat, custard, tinned fruit, jam, shower gel, toothbrushes and toothpaste.”
Confidentiality is always maintained when parcels are distributed to families.
Ms Sanders added: “Parents collecting don’t need to come into the main reception, it’s completely away from the children and we don’t have parents meeting each other collecting their packages. We totally respect their privacy.
“There are families we know are struggling and we did reach out. But we also invite families to get in touch themselves – we recently sent out a communication on the Parent Sway for example.
“I understand it’s hard for people to come forward, it’s not easy to admit that you need a bit of support, but I always say to those who have, you’ve done the hardest thing so far. You’ve actually asked for help, and that’s got to be a huge, huge thing.”
Staff advise families in need of support to contact Ms Sanders at: wsanders@thealegreen.w-berks.sch.uk