GroceryAid has launched the School Essentials Grant to reduce the financial impact on parents working in the industry when children go back to school in September.
In a recent survey by The Children’s Society it was reported that increased school uniform costs are leaving many low-income families struggling to cope and forced to cut back on food and other essential items. The report also highlights the impact on children wearing the wrong uniform that includes pupils being bullied, feeling left out or even excluded from school.
To help, GroceryAid has launched a School Essentials Grant to help families purchase the school necessities required for the start of the new school term. The grant is £150 per school-aged child (for up to three children), if the applicant can evidence that they are in receipt of Child Benefit and meet the eligibility criteria.
The grant will close on the 30 September or when the fund has been used, whichever comes first.
GroceryAid welfare director Mandi Leonard said: “GroceryAid’s School Essentials Grant will help to alleviate some of the financial strain on low income families at the start of the new school year, particularly in these unprecedented times. On average families spend around £337 on secondary school uniform each year with primary school parents paying as much as £315 a year per child.”
The GroceryAid Helpline provides emotional, practical and financial support to the grocery industry. It is available 24/7, 365 days a year: 08088 021 122.
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