Banbury Amazon team helps children receive free breakfasts during Covid-19 lockdown

Parcels of healthy breakfast food delivered by the local Amazon delivery station team have been arriving on the doorsteps of thousands of children across the UK, thanks to an expanded partnership between Magic Breakfast and Amazon.

The team at Amazon’s delivery station in Banbury will support the delivery of the parcels of breakfast food through Amazon Logistics to the homes of children across the UK.

Between May 11 - 22 more than 32,000 breakfasts were delivered to more than 2,000 homes in the South of England and London.

During this period, each child received packs containing two weeks’ worth of Magic Breakfast food, either via their schools, or via an Amazon delivery.

The children receiving these meals can normally have a free breakfast at school, provided by Magic Breakfast, to give them the fuel they need for their morning lessons.

Since schools closed due to Covid-19, however, the charity has adapted its delivery model, with help from Amazon, to ensure that children from its partner schools can continue to enjoy their Magic Breakfast at home.

Guided by its partner schools, and with generous support from food suppliers (Arla, Heinz, Kellogg's, Morrisons, New York Bakery Co, Quaker Oats UK), Magic Breakfast has been able to deliver take home breakfast packs to schools or alternative delivery sites during lockdown.

School staff have then been organising for these packs to be collected by families or arranging deliveries to families' doors.

Kerry-Anne Lawlor, country director of Amazon Logistics, said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing support of Magic Breakfast by delivering breakfast parcels to the doorsteps of thousands of children during this difficult time, ensuring they have a healthy start to the day.”

To help Magic Breakfast reach more children at risk of hunger under lockdown, Amazon, a long-standing supporter of Magic Breakfast, has stepped in to help with its warehousing and logistics expertise.

Since the partnership began in 2016, Amazon has helped Magic Breakfast provide over 1.5 million breakfasts to thousands of children across the UK.

Alex Cunningham, CEO of Magic Breakfast, said: “Amazon staff have bent over backwards to help the children and schools we support.

"In a time when hunger is a reality faced by many, Amazon is enabling Magic Breakfast to reach thousands of vulnerable children with a healthy breakfast - children who can no longer access breakfast provision at school and whose families may be finding it difficult to provide food under lockdown. A very big thank you to Amazon."

Amazon will be continuing to offer this free home delivery service to Magic Breakfast for 12 weeks, or for as long as schools remain under lockdown.

Magic Breakfast is a registered charity providing healthy breakfasts and wrap-around support to children in the UK who arrive at school too hungry to learn.

The charity works with 480 schools in disadvantaged areas of England and Scotland, normally ensuring that more than 48,400 children start their school day with the energy and nutrition they need to be able to make the most of their morning lessons.

Between April 27 and May 8, over 20,000 children received packs containing two weeks of Magic Breakfast food.

Magic Breakfast also co-delivers the government’s National School Breakfast Programme, with Family Action, and reached a further 55,000 children with breakfast packs in the same time span through this programme.

Magic Breakfast has launched an emergency appeal #KeepingBreakfastGoing to help fund deliveries to children throughout the coronavirus crisis and the period of adjustment and academic catch-up beyond.

Donations can be made via Magic Breakfast’s website: www.magicbreakfast.com