Leeds Charity Rethink Food Supports Schools Battling Child Hunger

Key Points

• Leeds-based charity Rethink Food is funding free fruit stalls, cooking classes, and food parcels to combat pupil hunger.
• A University of Bristol report revealed schools are now the largest providers of foodbanks across England, with around 4,000 operating within school settings.
• Co-founder Nathan Atkinson, a former headteacher, said teachers were resorting to bringing food from their own homes due to decimated school budgets.
• The charity’s Food Pantry pilot network helps schools offer educational support and £100 weekly funding for food initiatives.
• Morley Victoria Primary School in Leeds uses the funds for a fruit stall and supper club where students learn cooking skills.
• Assistant headteacher Kevin Precious said the cost of living crisis affects even families with two working parents.
• Parents report food costs have almost doubled, pushing families towards unhealthy processed food.
• The initiative aims to ensure pupils can learn effectively by meeting their nutritional needs.

A Leeds initiative is stepping up to feed hungry schoolchildren as teachers and staff across England grapple with rising food poverty and shrinking school budgets.

Why was Rethink Food set up to tackle hunger in schools?

As reported by BBC News, Nathan Atkinson, co-founder of the Leeds-based charity Rethink Food, said the organisation was formed after witnessing first-hand the effects of hunger on learning. Atkinson, previously a headteacher in Leeds, recalled the moment that inspired action:

“This goes back to 2014, when a child stood in front of me and said, ‘I’m hungry’ — how can you teach a hungry child?”

According to Mr Atkinson, the charity was founded to support schools in ensuring pupils are nourished and ready to learn. He noted that school budgets had been “decimated”, leaving educators struggling to cope with students’ basic needs.

“We found teachers and support staff were bringing in food from their own cupboards and buying food out of their own wallets,”

he explained.

Mr Atkinson emphasised that the goal of Rethink Food is to ensure every child’s learning experience is not interrupted by hunger.

“We want the best learning experience for children,”

he said.

“To achieve that, we need to meet their needs — and a big part of that is making sure they are nourished.”

How widespread is food poverty in English schools?

The growing crisis of food insecurity in schools is not isolated to Leeds. A report by the University of Bristol found that schools across England have become the biggest providers of foodbanks, with over 4,000 now in operation nationwide.

As noted by ITV News, these school-based foodbanks often rely on donations and local charities such as Rethink Food to meet demand. The findings show that many schools — already burdened by limited budgets — are filling the gap left by struggling households amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.

The report underscores a drastic shift in the role of schools, from purely educational institutions to lifelines for families facing financial strain.

What does Rethink Food’s programme provide?

According to BBC Look North, Rethink Food launched its Food Pantry network to help schools deliver both practical and educational support to families in need. The pilot scheme provides a weekly fund of £100 per school. This money can be used to supply food parcels, support supper clubs, or purchase ingredients for cooking sessions.

Atkinson said the project’s underlying mission extends beyond feeding families — it’s about sustainability and empowering children.

“We’re changing the conversation around food,”

he added in an interview with The Yorkshire Evening Post.

“By educating young people about nutrition, where food comes from, and how to cook, we’re giving them lifelong skills.”

Rethink Food also works with local businesses and producers to ensure surplus food is ethically redistributed rather than wasted, aligning the scheme’s humanitarian work with environmental goals.

How are Leeds schools using the funding to support families?

One participant school, Morley Victoria Primary School, has put the £100 weekly funding to immediate and practical use. As detailed by BBC Radio Leeds, the school has created a weekly free fruit stall for families in the playground, along with a supper club for pupils.

Assistant headteacher Kevin Precious spoke candidly about the challenges families face in affording food:

“It can be families with two working parents, struggling because everything has gone up,”

he said.

“Food has gone up, the bills have gone up, the cost of childcare is massive, so even if you are a working family, a lot of your wages are going towards paying for childcare.”

He added that the school has seen a rise in families seeking help — not just for food, but also for essentials like PE kits and school trips. “Without that funding, we wouldn’t do it, to be honest,” Precious admitted.

“Our budget would not allow us to be providing £100 a week on food essentials for families, because we just don’t have the money.”

What do parents say about the programme’s impact?

Among the families benefiting from the initiative is Anne-Marie Stobbs, a parent of three pupils at Morley Victoria Primary School. As reported by BBC News Leeds, she described the rising cost of groceries as a major strain:

“Everything is just really expensive and it makes you end up buying processed foods which aren’t healthy for our children,”

she said.

Stobbs praised the school’s support as a “lifeline” for working parents.

“We know we need to be able to fuel our children to learn,”

she said.

“Schools providing things like this is a real asset to help parents.”

At the school’s supper club, pupils are not only fed but taught how to prepare meals. They often take these meals home along with leftover ingredients, extending the benefit to their families. Mr Precious added that the experience empowers children:

“With the cooking clubs, you’re giving children those lifelong skills. It’s about education as much as it is about nutrition.”

What broader lessons does this reveal about UK food poverty?

The story of Rethink Food, mirrored in hundreds of schools across England, highlights a deeper societal issue — the growing normalisation of food insecurity among working families.

As The Guardian recently reported in a separate feature on school hunger,

“The squeeze on family budgets means many children arrive at school hungry, and teachers are increasingly stepping in to feed them.”

Education professionals and charities alike are calling for systemic solutions rather than temporary relief efforts.

Experts such as Dr. Caitlin Richards, lead researcher on the University of Bristol study, have warned that “the reliance on schools as food providers is unsustainable and diverts resources from their primary role in education.” Yet, she acknowledged,

“Without these efforts, many more children would go hungry each day.”

How are policymakers responding to the growing crisis?

As of now, central government action remains limited. While initiatives such as the National School Breakfast Programme provide some support, campaigners argue it falls short of addressing the full scale of need.

Speaking to Sky News, Nathan Atkinson urged policymakers to “recognise that child hunger isn’t a school issue — it’s a societal one.” He added:

“Teachers should be able to teach, not manage food poverty. But until there’s wider reform, we’ll keep stepping up to support these families.”

The Department for Education (DfE), in a statement reported by BBC News, said it “continues to support programmes that ensure children have access to healthy food,” citing free school meals and holiday food schemes. However, critics argue that these measures only reach the “tip of the iceberg.”