A community café has created a crowdfunding project to provide affordable meals for entire families throughout the year.

It is to make family teas available during term time and school holidays so children a have a nutritious meal when free school lunches are not available.

The scheme, which is hoped to begin early next year is by the new Sunrise Café in Snargate Street, Dover.

Its management explains that poorer families can be pushed into crisis during the school holidays

because they cannot afford the food their children would have during term time.

Low-income families are often left with little or no choice about diet, forced to eat unhealthy food or simply go without.

Parents may skip meals to make sure there is enough for their children to eat, or they may not have access to facilities for cooking or storing meals.

Barbara Rickman- Callow responsible for the Spacehive crowdfunding push said: “Everyone should be able to feed their families and have the opportunity to experience eating out.

"These teas will provide the opportunity for the family to enjoy a two-course meal together without worrying about the bill at the end of their meal.”

The new initiative involves the café staying open for longer in the evenings, and another additional experienced cook will need to be employed, so providing someone with a new job.

The necessary training will be provided.

Organisers say that just over £20,000 is needs to be raised before Christmas, and with enough pledges and community support Kent County Council may match what is raised.

Exactly £4,905 has been raised so far.

The Sunrise, at Victory House, is a project of the homelessness charity Dover Outreach Centre and opened on July 3 this year.

It is run on a pay what you can afford basis for diners and in its first three months served nearly 2,000 meals,

You can help this new project by donating through spacehive.com/the-sunrise-cafe-family-teas

Read more: All the latest news from Dover

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