Ipswich community café offers free meals for kids all summer
A local homelessness charity is helping to ease the strain of the summer holidays by offering free meals to under-16s during the six-week break. Emmaus Suffolk supports families and individuals at its community café, the Royal Oak, and this July and August, families can grab a free meal.
The Royal Oak, at 175 Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, IP3 8EB, is a community space where customers can enjoy comforting meals and healthy options. The kitchen team is offering a tasty menu of kids' classics, including fish fingers and chicken goujons served with chips and vegetables, at no charge and without needing to purchase another meal.
Emmaus Suffolk works to reduce food poverty in Ipswich and the wider county while also tackling homelessness, isolation, and mental health issues through its accommodation offer and daily wellbeing hubs.
Claire Staddon, CEO of Emmaus Suffolk, shares, “We have been offering free meals mid-week for school children, and we wanted to extend this support to help people through the long summer holidays. With so many demands on parents and carers, we can help them out by ensuring kids have had a healthy, nutritious meal, and they leave with a full belly. Our café is a safe, supportive place where children can play and carers can socialise. We welcome any family who needs a bit of help this summer.”
Additionally, every Saturday throughout the summer, visitors to the Royal Oak can enjoy a delicious BBQ in the café’s garden, with a range of BBQ classics, salads, and healthy choices. With children eating free, it’s an easy, affordable way to enjoy the summer weekends.
Emmaus Suffolk offers a range of wellbeing hubs across Ipswich and Suffolk to help people connect with others and tackle loneliness. The Kids and Carers Club is a support space for parents and carers and will be open throughout the holidays at the Royal Oak every Wednesday and Thursday morning.
Free kids’ meals will be available at the Royal Oak every Wednesday to Saturday, 12pm–3pm, from Saturday 19 July.
Learn more about Emmaus Suffolk and the Royal Oak on their website: www.emmaussuffolk.org.uk