Pass Your Plate

Since learning that MP’s had voted not to extend Free School Meals to pupils during the school holidays, I have not slept properly. I have been wracking my brain to come up ideas of how I can help.  The Kindness Cafes (the collective noun for those businesses who have dug deep into their stocks to produce free lunches) and individuals who have taken up the gauntlet to ensure children do not go hungry are to be applauded and lauded.  I was so blessed to have been raised by my maternal grandmother who, were she alive today, would have had her Baked Bean Kitchen going between 12 and 1.

I lived about 500m from my school and, whilst entitled to FSM, I chose to go home for lunch – usually accompanied by an extra mouth to feed.  This extra mouth would be welcomed by the sight of my four cousins (who lived next door but one) and my brother, plus their extra mouths, munching away on beans on tost with the plates being passed down to the mouth farthest from the Belling cooker.  

The beans would go on the hot ring at 11.50am (“Number 3 – not too hot, I don’t want my pan ruined!”).  The backdoor would spring open at 12:05pm with a loud cry of, “What’s for dinner Gran!  I’m starving!”.  “Get in there and find a seat before the others come” was the auto response.  

The sliced loaf would be ready by the grill and the Echo margarine next to the plates (“Butter the toast on the plate – I’m not clearing up your mess!”). Occasionally the grill would get a bit fierce and the toast would have a mahogony tint (“Scrape it off, it won’t hurt you!”).  It was only polite that you ate that piece of toast, your extra mouth was your guest.

12.20pm and the first plate would have been devoured. “Can I have some more beans please Gran?”, “Hold on a minute, I’m still dishing up.  Get a jam tart from the tin, they should still be okay to eat.  They’ve only been in there a week.”.   Not a single child who came to our house for dinner as we called it – teatime was 5.00pm – ever went hungry.  By 1.00pm, the seats were put back where they were found, the plates were washed and put on the draining board and Gran sat back down in her armchair.  Her work was done.

We were living in very different times 45 years ago and I know that hardly any of the extra mouths we brought home to eat with us were hungry or from low income families.  I was raised to always having your Kindness Door forever open.  I am going to tie a paper plate on my gatepost saying ‘Welcome’.  I am inviting any child who is hungry to pop a note through my door and I will respond to them.  This invitation is extended to their parents who must be so worn down by the constant struggle to put food on the table, if I can help, I should. 

#Passyourplate #FSM #Marcusrashford #childpoverty

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Yasmin Gregory is a qualified lawyer, writer, bad cyclist and an even worse runner.  Yasmin spends any spare time with her family, playing her piano, saving cycle paths and still making moreMarrow Chutney.

This article is Part 2 of the series: I could not keep quiet