Fruitful effort by Foundation

AS thousands of students returned to classrooms across the region recently, so did the McKern Foundation’s Fresh Fruit Friday program.

Launched six years ago, the effort has seen up to 1080 kilograms of fruit derived weekly to 11,375 students at 39 primary and high schools across the Bendigo region.

Foundation founder Michael McKern believes the local Fresh Fruit Friday is one of the biggest programs of its kind in Australia.

“We are really proud of what we are achieving with this program and couldn’t do it without our fantastic partners,” he said.

“We have calculated that in the six years the program has been running we have delivered over 2.5 million pieces of fruit to local students.”

The effort is also appreciated by the students, with St Monica’s pupil Blake having good things to say about the program.

“You get hungry at break and then you can eat it while it is there,” he said. “The apples are juicy and crisp, just the way I like it.”

Now in its 25th year, the McKern Foundation is the philanthropic arm of McKern Steel.

Along with Fresh Fruit Fridays the organisation supports a range of child health causes in the region and across the state as well as Metricon My Home, Henly Homes Charity House, Royal Children’s Hospital, Kids Under Cover and BSE College Athletes Development Program.