Children across the Black Country who are eligible for free school meals will benefit from a national voucher scheme, allowing them to continue to access meals whilst they stay at home.

Schools can now provide every eligible child with a weekly shopping voucher, worth £15, to spend at supermarkets while closures are in place as a result of Coronavirus. Some schools can continue to provide meals for collection or delivery themselves, but where this is not possible, the scheme will allow the vouchers to be provided to families electronically, or as a gift card for those without internet access.
 
The vouchers can be spent on food at a range of shops including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S, with the Government working to get more shops to join the scheme as soon as possible. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
 
“I recognise that the unprecedented action this Government is taking to protect the country from Coronavirus, including closing schools, is dramatically affecting the lives of many families and I want to thank schools for the support they are continuing to provide to families.
 
“No child should go hungry as a result of the measures introduced to keep people at home, protect the NHS and save lives. That’s why we are launching this scheme to make sure children who usually benefit from free school meals still have access to healthy and nutritious meals while they are not attending school.”
 
Parents will receive the voucher via their child’s school, which can then be redeemed online using a unique code, or sent to their house as a gift card and used at supermarkets across the country. Suzanne Webb, MP for Stourbridge, added:
 
“The COVID-19 outbreak is a worrying time for us all, and the absence of free school meals is likely to exacerbate problems for many families across Stourbridge.
 
“Allowing parents and carers to redeem vouchers at supermarkets will ease the anxiety of many families and I am grateful that this is available for my constituents.”