COVID-19 (Coronavirus) community support and advice

Food

Coventry shops/restaurants offering meals/grocery delivery to self-isolated vulnerable people in COVID-19.

Free school meals and emergency food

Schools which are open for the children of critical workers and vulnerable children during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak are continuing to provide meal options for staff and children who are in school, and free school meals for all eligible pupils in attendance. 

Children eligible for free school meals can now  benefit from a national government voucher scheme allowing them to continue to access meals whilst they stay at home. Coventry schools are working very hard to ensure that all children entitled to free school meals are able to access them, and this can be done in a number of ways.

Schools can now provide families with a weekly shopping voucher worth £15 for every eligible child to spend at supermarkets, and/or provide meals for collection or delivery themselves. Where this is not possible, schools can provide vouchers to families electronically, or as a gift card for those without internet access.

Free school meals vouchers can be spent on food at a range of shops including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, and M&S, and the Department of Education is working to get more shops to join the scheme as soon as possible.

Find out about free school meals and emergency food for children and families.

Donating to Coventry Foodbank

Over 90% of the food distributed by foodbanks in The Trussell Trust network is donated by the public. More than ever the foodbank is reliant on the kind donations of the public to help those in greatest need.

Many larger supermarkets have foodbank donation points after the checkouts. These are still being collected and taken to the Coventry distribution centre. You can find out more by asking in your local supermarket staff or by visiting the Trussell Trust website. Their page on donating food also tells you which types of food they need the most.

Food shopping for vulnerable people and NHS workers

Several stores have been dedicating priority shopping or delivery slots to allow over vulnerable people to do their shopping more safely. Some also have dedicated hours when NHS and Social Care workers are being prioritised.

Please note that this is a general overview and that store websites should be visited for the most up-to-date information.

• Asda has introduced priority shopping for NHS workers and those in the care sector for the first hour of every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and exclusively on Sunday mornings, so they can quickly get the essentials they need between 9am and 10am before stores open. (Please have your ID or registration number to hand.) Asda are working with the UK Government to serve some of the extremely vulnerable people they have identified and, so far, have written to 242,000 customers to offer them first access to delivery slots. They also benefit from free delivery when placing an order and the opportunity to book a weekly recurring slot.
• Co-op has a dedicated shopping hour for vulnerable customers, those that care for them and NHS workers from 8am to 9am Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 11am on Sundays in all stores. They have also introduced gift cards for those instructed to self-isolate to make it easier for friends, family and volunteers to purchase essential items on their behalf. Gift cards can be purchased or topped up by calling 0800 029 4592. They are then posted out within 2-3 working days.
• M&S has said that the first opening hour will be dedicated to elderly and vulnerable customers, and their carers on Mondays and Thursdays. The first hour of trading will be reserved for NHS and emergency services workers. Health and social care workers on Tuesdays and Fridays. They have also introduced an ‘E-gift card’ which has a has a £500 limit. This is designed as an easy payment method for volunteers shopping on behalf of vulnerable and elderly people and those self-isolating. Customers, or their family or friends purchase the card online and provide the barcode to the volunteer shopper who uses this to pay in-store.
• Sainsbury's is open specifically to elderly and vulnerable customers from 8am-9am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They are also prioritising online delivery slots for elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers based on the lists the Government has shared with them identified additional vulnerable people using their own data early in the pandemic. They are offering priority shopping to all NHS staff and NHS and social care workers are also able to shop in their supermarkets for half an hour before they open, from Monday to Saturday. They have also reached an agreement with WH Smiths to stock a range of over 90 essential Sainsbury’s grocery items in 80 of their hospital outlets, ensuring that NHS workers have better access to groceries during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Tesco all stores (except Express stores) will be prioritising the elderly and most vulnerable for one hour between 9am and 10am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They are also reserving hundreds of thousands of home delivery slots a week for their most vulnerable customers, who the Government have identified as needing extra help. They have started contacting these customers to let them know they are prioritising home delivery slots for them.
• Waitrose will allow only elderly people to shop for the first hour of opening at supermarket stores and prioritised delivery slots for customers  who they have been able to identify as being vulnerable or over the age of 70, and they are contacting customers on the lists of clinically vulnerable people which the Governments have shared with us.
• Aldi have put together a parcel filled with 22 everyday foods and essential household items, and a few treats too. They’ll deliver it straight to customers door with full contactless delivery for self-isolators. The contents of the box weighs approximately 14kg, please consider this when ordering. The box can be ordered for £23.99
• Morrisons have introduced doorstep deliveries for vulnerable and elderly people unable to visit the store who live within 10 miles of a store. Customers can choose to purchase items from a limited list. More details available here. Morrisons have also introduced Food boxes designed to provide everyday essentials which are delivered. Different types of boxes are available; veg, non-veg, Market Kitchen Square meals box, Market Kitchen Meal Maker box, Family meat box and Ramadan Food box. Prices vary £30-£35.
• Iceland are giving priority in online ordering to those on the governments' official 'shielded' lists of vulnerable people, and are communicating directly with all those on these lists who are existing Iceland customers to offer them this opportunity. If a person on the 'shielded' list is not already registered with Iceland, they can set up an account and, if the information they record there matches that on one of the Government's shielded lists, they will offer them priority shopping opportunities in the future. The last hour of trade in Iceland stores is being reserved exclusively for NHS customers on production of official NHS ID. (Iceland have said Social Workers and other healthcare workers are also welcome to join their NHS exclusive hours.)