King Charles learns about poorer side of Milton Keynes as he visits charities who feed the hungry

After the pomp and ceremony of a royal reception in MK last week, King Charles paid a quiet visit to two charities to see how the other half live in our city.

He travelled to a warehouse in Kiln Farm to meet people from MK Foodbank and St Mark’s Meals, two vital schemes that keep hunger at bay for thousands of local families trapped in poverty.

The King, who had requested the visits himself, was so impressed with their work that he arranged for two large fridge freezers to be donated through his own charity, the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund.

His visit to MK Foodbank was kept secret from the public before the event last Thursday. He learned that the charity gave out a record 26,000 food parcels last year and has supported one in 30 households in MK over the past 18 months.

"This represents one child in every class, at least one household in every street and possibly at least one in most workplaces,” said a foodbank spokesman.

Recently a special Vital Signs report prepared by MK Community Foundation painted a bleak picture of Milton Keynes as a city divided by wealth and poverty, stating the ‘two speed’ nature of the city is becoming increasingly marked.

During the foodbank visit, King Charles met operations manager Louisa Hobbs, trustees, staff, volunteers, partners and supermarkets who are involved with the charity and its ongoing work in the community.

Afterwards he made a surprise drop-in visit to St Mark’s Meals, a charity dedicated to helping local children who are experiencing food poverty.

“We share a workspace with MK Foodbank who had been asked to host the King. But it was all a big secret,” said their project coordinator Angie Row..

She added: “We were so pleased that he spent time talking to each of us and looking at our Meals Boxes. Those same boxes we showed the King have now been delivered to a local Children’s Centre for distribution to families who are struggling.”

“He asked me if we get much feedback from the children that use our boxes. When I told him that the curry was popular, he seemed surprised and said he hoped it wasn’t too spicy for children!”

St Marks Meals provide meal kit boxes to schools across MK so teachers can give a box away to feed the whole family whenever they see there is a need.

Rev Paul Oxley, founder of St Mark’s Meals, said, “We know that children sometimes go hungry because there isn’t enough food at home, we wanted to change that to make sure that a good meal is always available to children whenever they need it.”

The Vital Signs report states that 18000 children were living in poverty in Milton Keynes in 2021

St Mark’s Meals produces five types of meal box recipes - Terrific Tuna Pasta, Brilliant Bolognese, Taste-Tastic Tacos, Cool-Kid’s Curry and Just Add Water (for families with no cooking facilities)

Each meal box costs around £6 to produce, are vegetarian to fit a wide range of needs, and can feed a family of four.