Northampton man wants to feed disadvantaged children during school holidays and teach families to cook

A 50-year-old father from Northampton wants to feed 30 disadvantaged children during the Christmas holidays - but hopes that, with interest, he will grow the initiative and teach families how to cook.

Simon Poon, 50, from Abington Vale, has set up a test pilot date for his new initiative ‘Spoony’s Kitchen’, which aims to keep Northampton’s children fed during the school holidays.

Tuesday, December 20 will see Simon - along with his family - cook two meals for up to 30 children free of charge to help families that will struggle during the Christmas holidays as the cost of living rises.

Simon told Chronicle & Echo he was inspired by Manchester United footballer, Marcus Rashford MBE, who fronted a successful campaign in 2020 to urge the government to offer free school meal vouchers during the school holidays.

Simon, who runs an estate agents business, said: “Some parents don’t have cooking skills and they have found it really tough to provide hot meals daily. They would be eating pot noodles or going down to the chippy. They do the best they can. It is not their fault. Whether it is a lack of education or finances, people are forced to do these things to survive.

“I want to do something to help some people. It is not about changing the world, it is about trying to feed children.”

Simon is a parent to three teenage boys, he loves cooking and has spent most of his life in the catering trade. This week, he reached out to his friends in the hospitality sector for help as he set up ‘Spoony’s Kitchen’.

The free meals will take place at the Abington Community Centre, in Wheatfield Road South, on Tuesday, December 20. There are a total of 30 seats available; the first 15 children will be served their meals from 12pm and the second sitting will be at 1pm.

All children must be accompanied by an adult and eligible for free school meals or pupil premium.

The meals provided will be simple but nutritious and made up of food donated by local shops and restaurants.

Simon told this newspaper: “If I can feed 30 mouths, I will be very happy.”

This is not Simon’s first rodeo in tackling both hunger and food waste. He used to run ‘Elsie’s Cafe’, which is now known as Shop Zero.

The cafe serves up hot meals from ingredients intercepted from shops before they are binned and diners are asked to make a donation or volunteer their time. The pay-as-you-feel cafe was named a runner-up in the ‘Local Food Hero of the Year’ category in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2015.

Simon has high hopes to expand the initiative to help more local disadvantaged families. He has already pre-booked a room at the Abington Community Centre in February Half Term and plans to set up basic cooking classes for families during the Easter holidays.

Anyone wanting to apply for a free meal at Spoony’s Kitchen is asked to email [email protected] or like Spoony’s Kitchen’s Facebook page and give them a direct message.