Sheffield secondary school team deliver emergency food parcels to families in need

The pastoral staff at Firth Park Academy went above and beyond their usual roles to aid those in need during a time which has added further pressure onto already vulnerable families.

Organised by mental health and wellbeing lead, Frankie Arundel, they created the parcels using the school’s catering budget.

They then delivered them to homes in the community identified as in need.

Ms. Arundel said: “When we go out and deliver the packages, you can see how grateful the families are for the support – anyone could find themselves in this situation. I feel like it’s our responsibility to help, as a school but also as a human being in general. It’s just about showing that kindness and compassion for others.”

Students from deprived households are in many cases dependent on the free school meals, with many of them knowing that will be their only hot food of the day.

Leaders at Firth Park Academy have previously taken steps to address this, running a food bank over Christmas and planned to do the same in the Easter holiday.

But, as the school is currently closed, they had to change their plans to continue their support.

Firth Park has also set up a fundraising page to provide vulnerable families with financial support to purchase necessary items.

The school also loaned over 200 laptops to students who would otherwise not have the technology to keep up with their schooling.

Principal Dean Jones said: “One of our school values is to be big hearted, and this response from Frankie and her team really epitomises that. We take our duty of care to our community really seriously, and we know how devastating it could be to lose this source of support.

“We are always looking for more ways to support our students and their families through these incredibly challenging circumstances. It is more important than ever that we come together as a community to protect the vulnerable, and we are so grateful to everyone who donated money, food or time to help others.”

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