Enterprise Mobility and the Children’s Rights Alliance mark the successful completion of the second year of the Holiday Hunger charity initiative, funded by Enterprise Mobility’s global Fill Your Tank® programme – a 10-year, $115 million (€104 million) commitment dedicated to fighting food insecurity. The Holiday Hunger initiative arose from the increased vulnerability to food insecurity among children during school holidays, when other support like school meal programmes may not be available.
The 2023 funding, totalling €20,000, enabled the Children’s Rights Alliance to work with four charities across Ireland, supporting their efforts to combat childhood food poverty. Doras, a Limerick-based organisation working with refugee and migrant families; Crosscare Dundrum, which works with children in areas of socio-economic disadvantage; Extern, a national charity supporting young people to overcome their challenges; and the Childhood Development Initiative in Tallaght each received a grant of €5,000, helping them provide food to 930 children and support 331 families across 11 different counties. Programmes supported by the Holiday Hunger initiative included a “101 Square Meals” project which supplied families with a cookbook and ingredients for nutritious meals throughout the school summer holidays, and an after-school programme which sent food hampers home with participants every week in July. Other groups distributed food vouchers and organised recurring deliveries of fresh fruit and vegetables to families in their areas.
Leslee O’Loughlin, Human Resources Manager at Enterprise Mobility in Ireland, said, “It’s a sad reality that in a society as prosperous as ours, many families in Ireland still experience food poverty, with school holidays being a particularly challenging time for many children and families due to the suspension of school meal programmes. At Enterprise Mobility, we are incredibly proud to continue helping the Children’s Rights Alliance with their work in this area, offering funding to support community-based groups across the country who are providing food to those who need it most.”
Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said: “There is no justification for young children going without something so vital to their health and well-being as nutritious food. However, that is the case in many communities across Ireland, with children in minority and vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by it. At the Children’s Rights Alliance, we are acutely aware of the importance of grassroots and local charities in getting nutritious food to children and families throughout the year, particularly during the school holidays when other support may not be available. The funding we were able to provide to our four member organisations, thanks to Enterprise Mobility’s Fill Your Tank programme, had a direct impact on almost 1,000 children across Ireland and we are incredibly grateful for their continued support.”
