MORE than 14,000 children were fed over the summer holidays through the council’s Holiday Food project.

In the council budget earlier this year, City Treasurer Allan Gow allocated £2m for programmes that would organise activities and food for children during the school holidays.

It was a response to reports of children going hungry when they were not able to get free school meals.

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An evaluation showed 14,674 children took part in funded projects across Glasgow.

The scheme was considered a positive response to a need that was not being met and plans are to be drawn up for school holiday periods next year, including the summer once again.

Community projects were funded in 22 of the 23 council wards, only Langside had no applications.

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The highest number of projects supported was in North East where 16 organisations helped out more than 2000 children.

The highest number of children helped was in Calton where 2,403 children were fed by 13 projects.

It was decided instead of simply opening schools and nurseries for an hour to provide food the cash could be given to community groups who organized other activities for children over the holidays.

Part of the thinking was to help parents with he cost of keeping children occupied over the summer.

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In the evaluation of the project it was stated: “Some families commented that they didn’t face the stress of having to afford the cost of entertaining and feeding their children during the summer holiday.

“This also helped reduce them being isolated in their community as normally they wouldn’t be able to afford to attend.”

Mr Gow, said: “The evaluation work has shown the programme to have numerous associated benefits to the children attending, their families and the wider communities.

“The holiday food programme will continue next summer given the ongoing need for it, the clear success of this year’s scheme and the strong partnership model that underpinned it.

“Unfortunately, in the context of the roll out of universal credit, I think there will also be a greater need for this programme and so we’ll continue to develop it.”