Some families have abandoned balanced meals for lack of money during the coronavirus crisis, while many have faced physical and mental problems, according to a report. Researchers from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the Church of England (C of E) spoke to parents who said they had been forced to sell possessions to protect their children’s quality of life, and found that 80% of poorer families surveyed felt they had become worse off financially since the lockdown began. The findings underline the disproportionate strain being placed on the poorest households as the UK struggles to deal with the pandemic. In June the Resolution Foundation said that while many low-income families were turning to credit cards to get by under lockdown, many higher-income households were able to save more money as their costs fell. The CPAG and C of E researchers found that costs had gone up for many low-income families, many of whom were having to spend more on food and utilities than before. Meanwhile, many had lost work either as a direct result of the lockdown or the loss of support such as childcare. “We have had to cut down quite a bit, not have the diet we had before when I was trying to make sure that they get a balanced diet. I just manage whatever I can make, really … with fruit and everything being so expensive, you just have to get what’s affordable,” said one parent, named by the researchers as Ann-Marie. Another, named Claire, said: “I went round Lidl with a list and a calculator to try and get everything I possibly could at the lowest possible price. It has just meant worry and stress and anxiety, because as long as you can see a light at the end of the tunnel, it gives you strength to move forwards. We haven’t had that. In terms of financial impact, it’s meant absolutely counting every penny.” Another respondent, whom the researchers did not name, said: “I’m trying to sell my things, my jewellery, so they [the children] can have their TV.” The CPAG said it found many children who were eligible for free school meals in England had not been receiving them. It called on the government to extend the scheme to all families in receipt of universal credit or working tax credit, with a view to bringing in universal free school meals for all children in the long term. The charity also said ministers should “increase child benefit by £10 a week and add an extra £10 a week to the child element within universal credit and child tax credits” and “abolish the benefit cap, or at least suspend it for the duration of the pandemic”. The researchers conducted an online survey of 264 low-income families from a range of backgrounds in the UK, and held in-depth interviews with 21 of the families in England, between May and July this year.