A charity that provides meals for hungry students has relaunched its Feed the Children campaign because of a “continued” need.

The charity, which is run through the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was providing about 700 meals each month to students in more than a dozen schools across the island before the Covid pandemic hit in 2020.

Official operations ceased as schools went into lockdown, although the organisation still provided meals directly to vulnerable families.

Charity chiefs have now revamped the programme, arguing that many students are still going hungry.

Dora Baker, the charity’s community service federation director, said it was not certain if the problem had increased since the Covid pandemic — but that it had certainly not improved.

The charity is now liaising with school counsellors and the Bermuda Union of Teachers to find out how extensive the problem is.

Ms Baker said: “We need to develop a strategy, to find out just how many students are going without one, maybe two, meals a day.

“We will be collecting that information during this semester. Once we have a clearer picture, we can plan accordingly. What we do know is that the issue is definitely persisting.“

Last month The Royal Gazette revealed that up to 15 students at one school were arriving each day without lunch.

Ms Baker said: “We have been advised of the rising number of children now in need of the feeding services, and we are committed to doing our part to assist.”

Ms Baker said that, when the charity was providing a full service before the pandemic, it learnt that many students were only eating half their donated lunches in order to take the remainder home to a hungry siblings.

Ms Baker said: “Obviously it’s so important for young people to not go hungry, particularly when they’re at school.

“There are many reasons why children are going to school without eating. There was a time when schools had cafeterias, but that doesn’t seem to be the case any more.

“So if students come to school without a lunch, there’s very little opportunity to buy a lunch.

“Also, perhaps a child’s parents have to leave early for work, and the student is unable to make the lunch themselves.

“We hear stories of children arriving at school with nothing to get them through the day but a bottle of soda.”

The charity will be holding its annual tag day on Wednesday. Ms Baker said that it can cost as much as $12 per day to provide a breakfast and lunch for a single child.

She said: “During the rest of the year, donations usually come in through members of the congregation. This is the one time of the year when we appeal to the rest of the island to support us.

“We are inviting the public to show support of our efforts by making generous donations on that tag day. We thank you for your continued support and prayers.”