'We must give children and families a warm welcome this winter' 

Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) are looking to equip more churches to open a Make Lunch Club during the winter and cost of living crisis. They provide children with warm food, a warm venue and a very warm welcome. 

TLG recognises the increase in fuel costs will prevent some churches from opening their doors without support, despite having the volunteers able to respond, so are waiving the training and resourcing set-up fee to support this, as well as offering seed funding.  

They explain more about their crisis response here

Thousands of children are in URGENT need of hope this winter. Their homes are cold. Their tummies are rumbling. Forty per cent of families on Universal Credit are skipping meals and two-thirds are having to spend their first cost-of-living payment on food just to survive.

In homes like Harry (7) and Tommy's (5), food and heating are a stretch each month. Their mum, Aimee, worries about them picking up on her stress as she struggles to feed and clothe them.
'The rising costs are a daily challenge,' says Aimee. 'We struggle a lot financially and it impacts us emotionally too. I’m not sleeping as much and it’s causing tension at home. And my children pick up on the worries.'

Little Harry understands that rising costs will have an impact on his family. 'Food is getting more expensive and we can’t afford as much. It might be really cold at Christmas time.'

Aimee continues, 'It’s hard trying to explain to the kids about not having the money. I hate it, you don’t want that for your children, they shouldn’t be worrying about money.'

The cost of living crisis is having a detrimental impact on their family as well as thousands of others. Children's physical and emotional wellbeing will see a colossal decline as families simply can't afford to live.

This winter is going to be a particularly challenging time, with millions of children feeling cold, hungry and worried. Providing those children and their families with support that they can count on is vital.

For several years, TLG has partnered with hundreds of churches across the UK to run Make Lunch clubs, offering children and families hot food, fun activities and lasting friendship in the warm surroundings of their local church family. There’s never been a time where TLG Make Lunch has been more relevant than now.

TLG’s Founder and Chief Executive, Tim Morfin, comments on the growing crisis. 'We’re seeing how families are facing bigger and more desperate challenges every day. Over the 23 years that TLG has been spreading hope to struggling children, we’ve learnt how to make a real, lasting impact. But as prices keep going up, more has to be done.

'TLG is running an urgent crisis response to increase our reach into new communities and new homes. Each new church we mobilise this winter will meet urgent practical needs and build lasting relationship with families.'

TLG is poised, ready to equip churches to reach out into their local communities and have launched a crisis response to enable churches to respond as soon as possible to the escalating need.

 

If your church is ready to make an impact by partnering with TLG to run Make Lunch, find out more about TLG’s crisis response package for churches and get in contact via this form: tlg.org.uk/your-church/tlgs-urgent-cost-of-living-crisis-response

If you are able to give to TLG’s Urgent Cost of Living Appeal, you can donate here: tlg.org.uk/appeals/open-the-door