A Harrogate restaurant will cook meals and deliver food parcels to families in need over half term, following a controversial vote in the House of Commons over free school meals.
Ozgur Babat, the owner of Portofino Ristorante Italian restaurant on Albert Street, said he took action after the government voted down a Labour Party motion to extend free school meals over half-term and the Christmas holidays. There are currently around 2,000 children in Harrogate receiving free school meals.
He said:
“When I saw they’d cancelled free meals for kids, that was heartbreaking really. I have a daughter, she’s only two and a half. I put myself in that position where I couldn’t afford to buy the food for her. How would I feel?”
On Monday, staff at Portofinos will begin preparing pizzas in the kitchen as well as food parcels with rice, pasta and flour. Families can send the restaurant a message on Facebook to get food delivered to their door, with no questions asked.
He said:
“Even if we can touch one person, that will make us happy.”
However, Mr Babat said the restaurant has already received messages from 10 families in Harrogate who require food for their children.
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Mr Babat said even though his independent restaurant is “struggling to survive” because of the pandemic, this was something he felt he had to do. He now hopes other restaurants in Harrogate will follow his lead and join in if they can.
While some people may say it should be the government’s job to ensure that children in need are fed, rather than charity or local businesses, Mr Babat said he is not interested in the politics of what his restaurant is doing.
He added:
“We’re not thinking anything about politics. The kids are our future. It’s all about humanity and how we can help the people. Hopefully we won’t send any kids to bed without their bellies being hungry.”
