Cost of Living

Free School Meals 

If you are eligible for free school meals you will receive a monthly 'cost of living' voucher. The vouchers will be £15 per month, per child. There's a larger payment of £30 for August, to coincide with the school holidays. That's £120 per child in total.

The vouchers will be paid from April 2022 (backdated) up to and including October 2022 and are provided by Edenred. You can use Edenred vouchers in all supermarkets for essentials, including clothing.

If you receive support with free school meals you will automatically receive the vouchers from your school.

Check to see if you are eligible for free school meals.

Breckland Mobile Food Store

Access affordable, nutritious food and household essentials, plus an information, advice and guidance service to support with the issues you are experiencing. 

Find your nearest stop.

Nourishing Norfolk Food Hubs

There are now a number of Food Hubs located across Breckland. Please find your nearest Food Hub below:

• The Burrell Supermarket, Charles Burrell Centre, Thetford, IP24 3LH
• The Food Cabin, Wellspring Family Centre, 35 Neatherd Road, Dereham, NR19 2AE
• The Pantry, Kenninghall Village Hall, School Close, Kenninghall, NR16 2EL
• Watton Food Hub, Watton Community Centre, Harvey Street, Watton, IP25 6EB

Community Fridges 

Pick up surplus food and prevent food waste by visiting your nearest Community Fridge. There are four community fridges in Breckland, which anyone can access and the food is free of charge as it's nearing its sell-by date. So far Community Fridges have helped thousands connect to their communities, access nutritious food, save money and reduce waste.

Find your nearest Community Fridge.

Food Banks

Food banks in Breckland welcome and support everyone who is referred to them, always acting with respect and without judgment. Volunteers will give a minimum of three days' emergency food and offer support to resolve some of the difficulties you might be facing. 

In order to get help from a food bank you will need to be referred with a voucher, which can be obtained from Breckland Council. Call 01362 656870 or e-mail communitysupport@breckland.gov.uk

Holiday Activity and Food Programme 

A government funded programme to provide school aged children eligible for free school meals with access to free healthy meals and activities in the school holidays. 

The Big Norfolk Holiday Fun is a Norfolk County Council scheme delivered alongside our partners Active Norfolk, to help your child move lots, eat well and have fun.

The scheme provides holiday activities for children and young people aged 5-16 in Norfolk. If your child is 4 years old but they are in school, they can take part.

Children not in receipt of free school meals can also attend but a fee is applicable. 

Find out more and book places.  

Healthy Start Scheme 

If you're more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.

If you're eligible, you'll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. 

You can use your card to buy:

• Plain liquid cow's milk
• Fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
• Fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
• Infant formula milk based on cow's milk

Find out more about the Healthy Start Scheme.