SEVERAL organisations and community larders across Oxford are offering free meals for vulnerable children across the city.

Oxford City Council has reminded people that these organisations are still providing meals throughout half term after Tory MPs voted down footballer Marcus Rashford's bid to extend free school meals to disadvantaged children into school holidays.

The Labour-led city council also reminded people that it had provided more than £60,000 worth of funding to community groups and charities to help provide food to struggling families during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Read also: How many people have signed Rashford's petition in Oxfordshire?

The following organisations are providing free meals for children in Oxford during half term:

  • Oxford Mutual Aid and partners are providing free meals on October 27 between 1pm and 3pm at Templar's square shopping centre and between 4pm and 6pm at The Leys Pool and Leisure Centre 
  • Waste2Taste Cafe at Ark-T Centre is providing healthy meals to re-heat at home on October 27 and October 28
  • Florence Park community centre is delivering free lunch meals for children and families on October 30

Read here: These are the places offering free school meals around Oxfordshire 

These are the community larders that will be open this week:

  • Blackbird Leys community larder is open between 3pm and 5pm on Wednesday at Blackbird Leys community centre 
  • Rose Hill community larder is open between 2pm and 4pm on Tuesdays at Rose Hill community centre
  • Barton community cupboard is open from 12.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at Barton Neighbourhood Centre

Rose Hill junior youth club, based at Rose Hill community centre, also provides a cooked meal, alongside an after school club, for children on Wednesdays and Thursdays.