Children from low-income working families who do not qualify for free school meals are going to class hungry, a Belfast head teacher has said.
Katrina Moore, principal of Malone Integrated College, said that to watch a child go hungry was heartbreaking.
The secondary school in Finaghy has about 800 pupils, just over half of whom are entitled to free school meals.
As a temporary measure to address hunger, Ms Moore is using grant money to provide free food to all her pupils.
The principal told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme she was "very conscious of those young people who I know are probably not going to get a hot meal at any time during the day whether it be breakfast dinner or an evening meal".
"So for us to be able to provide a hot meal for these young people and their families, to improve their education chances, it's a no brainer," she added.
In December 2022, Malone Integrated College used grants from the James Kane Foundation to provide breakfasts for hungry pupils on a temporary basis.
The charity was set up by the late aerospace entrepreneur Jim Kane from Portadown, County Armagh, who bequeathed his fortune to "advance education for the public benefit" in Northern Ireland.
Malone Integrated College recently went back to the charity for more help, and currently the school is offering free meals to every pupil until the mid-term break in February.
