Breakfast program reaches 20 million milestone

PUPILS at Leopold Primary School are among those who have helped eat their way to the Victorian government’s School Breakfast Club reaching more than 20 million meals served.

Leopold Primary School’s Breakfast Club has been running since Term 3, 2020, and in less than two years, pupils have enjoyed about 10,000 meals – almost 6,000 breakfasts and more than 3,600 snack items.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education James Merlino and Bellarine MP Lisa Neville visited Leopold Primary School early on Thursday last week to celebrate the program’s huge milestone and share a Milo with pupils.

Starting in 2016, the School Breakfast Club is part of the Victorian government’s partnership with Foodbank Victoria to provide free, healthy food for students at 1,000 government schools. Feedback from schools has shown the program has had benefits beyond making students happier and healthier.

It also has led to greater social outcomes for students and the school community, improved student engagement and concentration, strengthened staff-student relationships, enhanced social skills and better academic performance.

Since being established, the program has not only delivered more than 20 million nutritious meals but has also continued supporting students with access to healthy food despite periods of remote learning during the pandemic.

Smaller breakfast clubs were run at school for students who were permitted to learn onsite, as well as “grab and go” meal options for students to take home, food provided for families to collect from school sites to keep kids fed at home, and supplies even delivered to the homes of vulnerable students.

“Leopold Primary is a great school and I commend the entire school community, led by Principle Stuart Bott, in initiating this program at Leopold,” Ms Neville said.

“The pandemic was profoundly challenging for many Victorian families, but we’re proud that our School Breakfast Clubs were able to step in to ease the pressure on families and make sure nobody is at school hungry.

As well as delivering healthy breakfasts, the program provides nutritious lunches and holiday food supplies to students in need, and delivers cooking classes for families from around 100 schools across the state.

School Holiday Supply packs are also available for schools to order over the summer school holiday period for families who need support.

Nearly 40,000 packs have been distributed since the program began, with the 14-day food packs expanded last year to include lunch items in addition to healthy breakfasts and snacks.

“Kids just can’t learn well on an empty stomach, and this program has made such a difference in the lives of many thousands of students who need a bit of extra support to have a nutritious, delicious meal every morning,” Mr Merlino said.