Educational charity Etgar has launched a spin-off initiative to provide hot kosher meals to Jewish schools in support of teachers and key workers.

While most pupils are learning at home under lockdown in England, schools still have to provide on-site for vulnerable pupils and the children of critical workers such as NHS staff.

Miznon aims to supply a hot meal every day from Mondays to Thursdays for children and staff at participating schools up to the February half-term. It already has orders for thousands of meals.

Organisers Adam Taub and Jo Rosenfelder explained: “With the majority of children staying at home during lockdown, most Jewish primary schools have had to shut their kitchens. This has added an extra burden for staff and key working parents, many of whom are front-line doctors or nurses with extremely demanding and difficult work.”

Teachers were also facing “a very difficult time with high numbers of children coming into school, meaning they are having to teach both physically and online.”

They added that on top of facing exhausting days in hospitals or in the classroom, healthcare workers and teachers were also “now tasked with preparing packed lunches for the following days. This is a small way that the community is able to show their gratitude to teachers and key working parents and to ease their burden a little.”

The initiative has been launched in partnership with Jasmine Kosher Caterers and Prism the Gift Fund.

Organisers promise meals will be “balanced, nutritious and appeal to children’s tastes”.

In addition, Etgar has designed “Thought for Food” cards featuring puzzles and short biographies of Jewish heroes for children to collect.

www.justgiving.com/campaign/miznon