FREE meals were served up to around 15,000 Fife youngsters every week over the summer holidays.
Fife Council’s Café Inc initiative returned for the school holidays with 61 venues across the Kingdom being used to help tackle holiday hunger.
Providing the most meals was the Cowdenbeath area where a total of 18,552 meals were dished up, in Kirkcaldy the figure was 17,075 and South West Fife’s total was 17,084.
Speaking to Fife Council’s People and Communities Scrutiny Committee, Head of Communities and Neighbourhoods, Paul Vaughan, said the café has given out more than 121,000 meals during the Easter and Summer holidays this year.
“Staffing again continues to be between the third sector partners and catering staff who are operating 20 of the venues,” he said.
“With increased costs of the food and materials, we have seen an increase in the cost of the meals from £2.85 up to £3.05.
“We are still confident we can bring the project in on budget. If there was any continued increase in the costs of the meals, we would have to have a look at what additional budgets were required.”
Work has been ongoing to publicise the scheme and ensure the correct people were being targeted.
Mr Vaughan continued: “What we had found previously was that we were feeding more than just the holiday hunger and that was contributing significantly to very wide variations between different areas in terms of how much food was going out.”
Cowdenbeath councillor Alex Campbell praised the initiative.
“It would be remiss of me to mention Lumphinnans which is delivered by volunteers all in their seventies,” he said.
“The work they do in the community is absolutely amazing. They have also put on bingo games during it and getting more community engagement.
“The numbers there are fantastic. For me, It is a fantastic project. Unfortunately we are doing it – it would be better if we didn’t have to do it.
“I would like to continue the success that it is doing. It is a great project in my area.”
Glenrothes Central and Thornton councillor Lynda Holton praised the scheme.
“As a parent with a young child at nursery, the communication has been very good in my area through the school,” she commented.
Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch councillor Peter Gulline welcomed the efforts but asked about consistency around the different venues.
“The Café Inc that I have been to, they all seem to have different roles,” he said. “There is one, for example, that feeds 25 and it is the same 25 kids.
“There is another one where kids can come up themselves and take four or five bags. Another offers it to everybody passing through the park. Are there any plans to put consistent guidelines on it?”
Mr Vaughan said guidance is sent out to all the venues.
“We will follow up with Glenrothes team to make sure there is consistency,” he added. “They maybe additional funds that some community groups are bringing in.”
Share