Our vision
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School Holiday Hunger
No child should ever miss a meal
Freedom from hunger is a human right. All young Londoners need good, fresh food, whatever their circumstances.
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Every child deserves the best start in life. Feed London tackles the immediate impact of poverty while working with partners to support greater fairness, opportunity and equality for children and families.
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How Feed London began
The school holidays are a time when many families are stretched to breaking point, and Christmas 2020 was especially difficult. Feed London was launched by Miracles in December 2020 in response to the sharp rise in poverty and food insecurity caused by the pandemic and lockdown.
The idea grew from conversations with our community referral partners and with families we were already supporting through our supermarket voucher scheme. What they told us was clear: the start of the school holidays was a critical pressure point, when school meals stopped and household food costs rose sharply.
Our first Christmas programme supported more than 280 children and their families across some of the London boroughs with the highest levels of child poverty. Each family received a Feed London box filled with fresh ingredients and simple, family-friendly recipes.
Feed London is needed more than ever today. But our role goes beyond traditional food aid. We do not distribute unwanted or surplus food. We provide carefully chosen fresh ingredients, supermarket vouchers, recipes and activities that give families choice, dignity and agency — helping them decide what works best for their own household at a time when so much else can feel out of their control.
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Our values
Safeguarding – we take great care to keep the children and vulnerable adults we support safe. We have in place a robust child protection plan and all Miracles employees and key volunteers are DBS cleared.
Inclusiveness – our support is without prejudice. We support children and their families irrespective of their race, religion, gender, age, location or political affiliation.
Participation – we value and encourage the contribution of volunteers, community members and organisations and strive to support all contributors to our work in a positive and inclusive manner.
Professionalism – We commit to a very high standard of work in all our endeavours and expect the same level of professionalism from all our partners. This ensure our work best serves those in most need.
About Miracles
Miracles is a UK charity that was launched in October 1994 during the height of the Bosnia-Herzegovina war (92-95) when our founder, Theo Ellert, was taking humanitarian aid to civilians caught up in the conflict.
Since then, Miracles has grown to work extensively across the UK supporting children and their families living in poverty and facing moments of crisis.
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family stories
Robert’s family is struggling with low income, disabilities and complications from Covid-19
Robert, who is 19, has recently been discharged from hospital after treatment for Covid 19. He and his family were referred to us by Royal London Hospital.
Both Robert and his sister Georgie, who is ten, have a diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and are full time wheelchair users. The youngest child also has a disability.
There are problems with damp in the home and this is affecting their mother and other members of the family with worsening asthma symptoms.
The family receive no additional help.
Since contracting Covid 19 Robert has been severely affected by this both emotionally & physically needing additional care & support. The last few months have been exceptionally traumatic for the family.
Life has been just so difficult for this family. Having a Feed London food box delivered was one of the exciting most things Robert and Georgie had had in some considerable time. Watching their excitement as they tore open the boxes was wonderful – Georgina was laughing and said it’s like Christmas day.
It can be hard to imagine the everyday fear real of poverty, the lack of opportunity for even the simple things in life. Having your children seriously ill at the same time is just crushing. One mother described it as like having a sliver of ice permanently stuck in her heart – always present, always there, always painful.
At least for one long week over the holidays they don’t have to worry about food – with a voucher that week can extend into three.
