Hayling Holiday Lunches
We have been making deliveries of food to struggling families in the school holidays for 10 years. From the beginning numbers grew from a few families to a peak of 96 in 2025. Numbers have decreased a little, families moving away, no longer needing help, but we still have around 75 on our list and new families are referred to us by the schools. We now deliver in the main school holidays, thanks to our team of helpers, from the main hall at the URC in Mengham. Food continues to be donated at the Coop and Lucy's tea rooms in Mengham and through regular collections from Beach Babes WI, St Patrick's, St. Mary's churches and our own and individuals leaving food and financial donations with Sarah and David.
If you'd like to make a cash donation, please use the details below and reference "HHL":
NatWest
Hayling Island Baptist Church
Acc: 86223828
Sort code: 53-50-33
For further information, read our story below, or email us at haylingholidaylunches@btinternet.com
Our story
In 2016/2017 there was an item on the radio about an organisation called Make Lunch which highlighted the problem that families face when their children receive free school meals in term time, but in the holidays have to be provided for with no additional financial help. The term ‘holiday hunger’ was used. A group of us in the church we were attending at that time believed that there was a similar need on Hayling Island and we wanted to do something to help. We knew there was a Food Bank on the Island and also that in our schools a large percentage of children were in receipt of free school meals so we began by finding out from them where there might be a gap and how we might partner in their efforts.
Make Lunch (now part of TLG) provided training which enabled churches throughout the country to provide hot meals and activities for children who found themselves in challenging circumstances. However, we really felt that God was speaking to us, and leading us towards helping these families by delivering food directly to their homes. We wrote to all the schools on the island, asking them to pass on our letter offering groceries to any family in receipt of free meals, or that the school could identify as potentially benefitting from our project. In the summer of 2017 we helped 9 families; this grew in the next year to 25, then 36, and in 2025 to 96. This summer numbers have dropped but still 75 families receive our help.
When we began in 2017 there was no government help available and we have, over time, lobbied our MP and supported other campaigns to change this. Thankfully, when Marcus Rashford added his voice, minds were changed and vouchers were provided at Christmas and for half term. As we have such generous support in what we are doing from our churches and the wider community we decided to carry on with our deliveries alongside the voucher scheme, which is not always reliable. We try to support and involve our community further by buying our fruit from Hayling Fruiterers and using local volunteers to make the deliveries. We are most grateful to them all!
Three of the original group who started the project now run it (David and Sarah Smith and Samantha White). All are in attendance at HIBC, and many of the congregation here assist with donations and deliveries. God has truly blessed us by growing the number of familes we are able to help and by providing food donations. These come from all the churches on Hayling and also through the wider community. Our fundraising has seen generous donations from the Lions Club and the Businessmen’s Club, in addition to many from individuals and other organisations. These funds are used to purchase additional tinned goods and fresh and fresh fruit and veg. This allows us to bless each family with a bag of tinned and dry groceries in addition to a bag of fresh food once a week during the holidays. These are delivered with the help of a delivery team from this and other churches.
For further information email us at
Donations can be made to:
​
NatWest
Hayling Island Baptist Church
Acc: 86223828
Sort code: 53-50-33
Reference: HHL
