SCHOOL kids in Glasgow’s East End have helped to provide a meal for people sleeping rough.

Youngsters from Mount Vernon Primary have been working on a Citizenship project which has included focusing on the city’s homelessness issue.

Staff from Homeless Street Team Glasgow were delighted to receive box loads of food which the pupils had collected and were handed over yesterday.

In recent weeks pupils have been to Glasgow city centre to hand out food to people living on the streets.

School teacher Ailsa Barr, who led the P6 and P7 pupils involved in the project, has now written to the Scottish government inviting them to the school to give them a ‘clearer’ insight and perspective of what the kids have been working on.

Ailsa added: “I am very proud of how mature these kids are. Homelessness can be very complex, especially in different social aspects and different age ranges, they are already showing great empathy.”

Ms Barr added: “This is going further than the children because the community has been getting involved because they have been handing in donations as well. The children take this home and the parents are giving them big bags. It is about just raising awareness.”

Laura McSorley, manager for homeless charity, said: “We were approached at the end of December where Ailsa kindly confirmed that she will be getting the school children to help us from her class. It started in early January. The kids were well aware of what is going on out on the streets.”

She added: “There was a huge rise, when we started in November, we were servicing 30-40 people, and now we service up to 130 people – it’s phenomenal.”

The homeless team will expand their horizons by giving hot breakfasts every Sunday.