COVID-Response: An alternative to free school meals

Providing Food Security During School Closures: The Huggg Platform's Solution

As soon as school closures were announced due to the pandemic, thoughts immediately turned to how children eligible for free school meals would get fed.
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Concerned by the urgent need, we set to work repurposing our platform to enable schools to purchase supermarket vouchers to distribute to families directly. At present Huggg supermarket vouchers can be spent at Asda, Aldi, Iceland, Marks & Spencer, McColl’s, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. 
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It’s been such a privilege to be able to put our resources and team to work on this vitally important problem and want to help anyone in need, so please share this post with schools and trusts who might be in search of an immediate solution. Our first schools in London, Bristol and Birmingham are now successfully using the platform to distribute vouchers with more being provided with access every day.

UPDATE: The platform is now also available to charitable organisations looking to send food and welfare vouchers to any families or individuals in need.

Key information

For guidance about using Huggg to send food and welfare vouchers please click the relevant links below.👇
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Guide for Schools, Local Authorities and Charitable Organisations
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Guidance for parents, carers and all other voucher recipients

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FAQs

A full list of FAQs for both voucher senders and receivers can be found here but below are the answers to some of our most regularly received questions:
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Q. I have received a voucher, do I need to make an account to use it?

A. No, simply follow the instructions that were included with the voucher. More information on how to use your voucher can be found here.
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Q. I’m a school, trust or charity that needs to send vouchers. How do I get started?

A. Head here to get yourself signed up. The sign up process is free, simple and should only take a few minutes to complete.
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Q. I know a school, trust or charity who needs this. How do I put them in touch?

A. Tell them to head here for more information or to get started. We’ll take care of them from that point.
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Q. Which supermarkets can the vouchers be redeemed at?

A. Supermarket vouchers purchased via the Huggg platform can be redeemed at participating Asda, Aldi, Iceland, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose stores.
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Q. I need to send supermarket vouchers right now. How quickly can I get signed up?

A. We can have your school, trust or charity set up on the platform on the same day you submit your sign up form. Get started here.
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Q. How long will your voucher scheme be running for?

A. As long as there is a need for it
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Q. How can I contact you

‍A. You can email us at fsm@huggg.me