Morning Matters: a chat with Magic Breakfast!
We want you to get to know our awesome Impact Partner: Magic Breakfast.
So we sat down with them to ask them a few questions to help you get to know them better! Let's dive in..
Let's start at the beginning. For those who may not know much about Magic Breakfast, can you tell us a bit about the charity’s mission and the impact it’s aiming to make?
Magic Breakfast is a registered charity that exists to make sure no child or young person is too hungry to learn. Providing a daily school breakfast ensures that every child and young person feels included, equal and set up for success. It costs Magic Breakfast just 28p to provide a delicious, nutritious breakfast to children and young people.
Who does Magic Breakfast support/help?
Magic Breakfast makes a difference to over 300,000 children and young people every day. We support schools in England and Scotland, and work with local authorities to feed children and help end child morning hunger for good. We work with primary, secondary, additional support for learning schools (Scotland), special educational needs schools (England) and pupil referral units (Scotland).
What's happening at Magic Breakfast right now that makes you feel excited or hopeful?
We have recently published our latest Annual Breakfast Survey - Magic Breakfast. Each year, we ask our partner schools about the biggest challenges they and the wider school community are facing, and how Magic Breakfast is making a difference for their pupils and families. It is powerful to see the impact of our work through the voices of those who rely on our services.
Is there a story or moment from the past few months that you'd like to share?
Yes! We encourage our schools to engage in our yearly breakfast survey report, in which they can share feedback on their experiences with us. This quote, from one of our partner schools in Brighton and Hove, really stands out in showing the impact of our work.
“We introduced breakfast club to a child whose attendance, self-esteem, and social skills were poor and who was refusing to come to school. This child has been struggling with his health and weight and didn't trust his peers or adults in general. I had a meeting with his Mum, and we decided he would try breakfast club so we could help him socialise with other peers in small groups, and doing the activities would help with his weight. Mum discussed his poor eating habits and the lack of healthy choices he would make. i.e. eat at McDonald’s for breakfast. This child now attends breakfast club daily, eats what healthy foods we provide, and has made new friendships which has made a massive impact in class mum can now go to work feeling relieved and knowing that she won't get a phone call due to him not being happy in school.”
– Magic Breakfast Partner School, Brighton and Hove
What challenges are you facing right now, and how are you finding your way through them?
While there’s much to be proud of, the need for our work is growing. Our policy recommendations are grounded in evidence, reflect and are shaped by the views of the communities and schools we work in. This approach allows us to craft policies that are inclusive and focused on meaningful and long-term change.
For those in our community who want to get involved - whether it's a little or a lot - what's the best way to get involved or show support?
If you are looking for a hands-on way to get involved, you can fundraise for us! We have a brilliant page on our website titled ‘Get Involved’ dedicated to the different ways you can fundraise for us, filled with ideas and resources as well as the range of challenge events you can get stuck in to!
You can also donate to us directly Donate and Support Child Nutrition - Magic Breakfast.
You can help raise awareness of our mission by engaging with and sharing our social media posts. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Bluesky.
Looking ahead, what’s your biggest hope or dream for the next year?
To ensure that as many children and young people at risk of morning hunger have access to a delicious, nutritious breakfast!
And finally - if you could say one thing to everyone reading this, what would it be?
A huge thank you to TrueStart Coffee and your brilliant customers, for getting involved and donating to Magic Breakfast, you are all making such an impactful difference on the lives of children and young people in England and Scotland.
