Sweden's City Missions have seen during the year and the summer how more and more people visit their activities to eat. During the summer – when school lunches are not available – the needs increase.
We have had young people telling us that "mum asked me to come and eat", says Jonas Wihlstrand, Secretary General of Sweden's City Missions.
This year, all City Missions have opened up more activities – and everything has been fully booked during the summer. The complete statistics are not yet available, but so far nearly 600 children have been to summer camps, nearly 400 young people have got summer jobs and 5,000 people have participated in various summer activities that include food. It can be swimming trips, going to the amusement park or eating ice cream.
These are not extravagant things. These are activities that create stories. It is often what makes a summer break, and means a lot for the rest of the year, says Wihlstrand.
Mainly clothes and shoes
This is a picture shared by Mayflower. In the applications to them, it is common with cinema visits, a dream of visiting Liseberg or being able to go to a football cup with the football team.
Ten weeks in the summer are very long to sit at home and not be able to do anything, says Åse Henell.
But mainly the applications are about clothes and shoes.
We see that families with children have no money left. They have tried to make ends meet, so now we get long lists of what the children need.
In June, Mayflower's national association distributed 5 million kronor. It is 4.1 million more than in June last year, which is due to this year's record sales. There are still no figures on how much the local associations have distributed.
Cannot afford bus cards
About half of the municipalities do not offer children public transport cards during the summer, and parents who cannot afford it turn to Mayflower, according to Henell.
What we also see is that young people in high school and upper secondary school get municipal summer jobs, but they cannot even afford to accept their summer job if they do not get a bus card.
During the summer, it is mainly families with social benefits who seek out the City Mission, but also single parents who have jobs with low wages. Mayflower notices that new groups are seeking them out.
If you are single and work full-time but in a low-wage job, you have a hard time making ends meet with children. It worries us, says Henell.
