A Breakfast Club teaching all the skills

Kilmore Primary School has 507 students and serves around 50 students breakfast four mornings a week at their School Breakfast Clubs Program. Richie and Mez run a tight ship, serving up steaming hot spaghetti, buttery toast, crunchy cereal, fresh fruit and more.

The Kilmore Primary School Breakfast Clubs Program has evolved over time. Richie listens to feedback from the students and makes changes for the better. One example is the way the food is served. The students requested to serve their own breakfast, which once initiated has had many positive side effects.

The students are spooning their own spaghetti and spreading vegemite on their buttered toast. The kids love the sense of responsibility that comes with this and there has been less waste as kids only take as much as they will eat.

Student leaders in the group are given responsibility overseeing the food distribution, which is providing them with valuable organisational and communication skills. An unexpected benefit is that the students are also washing up their own dishes. The school has a bucket with warm water and a brush on a table, where the dishes are rinsed and placed into another bucket. A student helper stays at the table to make sure that the process is followed, and then puts the dishes into the dishwasher for a final clean.

While we were visiting the school, two students came into the Breakfast Club to ask if they could help. The Helper positions and badges are sought after. These positions are provided to students who have displayed good behaviour, and they are also used as an incentive for good behaviour.

Another change that has been introduced is the move from many small tables to sit at, to two long tables. This change encouraged different age groups to sit with each other and mingle, with great outcomes.

A garden that delivers the goods

Mez is the fearless leader over the Kilmore Primary School Kitchen Garden. She used her green thumb to turn a patch of wild weeds into a productive vege patch providing food for the school hampers and much more. The kids are rewarded for good behaviour with a visit to the garden to pick peas and passionfruit. There were several watermelons that many kids had their eyes on!

A few lucky students are provided the opportunity to be the Garden Ambassadors. This is a sought after position, which is seen as a real reward for good behaviour and leadership in the school.

Testimonials from Kilmore Primary School

“Our Breakfast Club program has made a huge contribution to promoting the wellbeing and engagement of our students. In addition to providing students with a nutritious meal to ensure that they are fuelled for learning, it has also fostered social interaction and built friendships among students from different classes, enhancing their sense of belonging and community.”

Neil O’Sullivan | Principal

“The KPS Breakfast Club has gone from strength to strength. The staff who run the program are passionate about supporting all students and developing their independence and lifelong skills. The program has had a ripple effect across the school. The students at KPS start the day ready to learn as a result of having access to breakfast as well as providing healthy food choices throughout the day. The program then reaches the broader school community through our Random Acts of Kindness hampers. Thank you to Foodbank for their ongoing support of our school community.”

Julie Smith | Assistant Principal

Kurnai College – LaTrobe Valley Flexible Learning Option

LaTrobe Valley Flexible Learning Option (LVFLO) has 120 students attending the school, over four days of the week. They offer the School Breakfast Clubs Program twice a day, serving around 40 kids per day.

What? Breakfast twice a day?

LVFLO is a tailored school for specific kids. The students attending LVFLO are at risk or already disengaged from education and require further support than a mainstream school can provide. Each student enrolled brings a unique set of experiences that has impacted their educational engagement.

The students receive individualised learning plans with a strong focus on providing holistic support. There is a Young Parents program providing both academic and life skills, a tailored music program and even a barrister training program to provide skills that will help these students outside of their school days.

The students generally attend school once a day, either in the morning or afternoon session. Therefore, there are kids arriving at school not only in the morning but also in the afternoon who may not have had any food. So, the answer is to provide Breakfast Club twice a day, once for the morning session and once for the afternoon session.

On any given day, you can smell bacon cooking twice a day. The school uses their School Breakfast Clubs Program products and adds bacon and eggs to provide more protein. Actually, it’s not just about the nutrition, it is also an incentive to get the kids to come to school.

Pantry stocked with school breakfast club products

Front of LaTrobe Valley Flexible Learning Option

Food for all

The school is set up with several kitchens, ensuring the kids can access School Breakfast Clubs Program food whenever they need. Ensuring these kids are not hungry at school is a priority.

Additionally, families are offered Home Food Packs on a Friday. There is no school on a Friday for these kids, so the school has the time to pack up the food and hand it out to school families as required.

Ronnie (The fabulous school Cook): “The contribution that Foodbank has made has enabled us to ensure that our students are provided with a nutritious meal prior to their learning schedule. As you would all know, your brain uses a quarter of your daily energy just to function. Having access to food impacts on learning especially when most of our students come from a low-socio economic background and may have financial situations limiting food security. Breakfast Club also allows our students to check in, debrief, belong and to share a meal in a safe family environment.”

Erin (The wonderful Wellbeing Manager): “The last thing we want our students to worry about is being hungry, so Breakfast Club is so important at our school. A guaranteed yummy breaky every morning gives the students motivation to attend as well as having the opportunity to chat to staff and each other.”

Nick (The awesome Principal): “Breakfast Club has been a fantastic way to connect our students to our school. Coming in each day and having breakfast with their classmates creates routine and ensures they are present, full, and ready to learn.”

LaTrobe Valley Wellbeing Officer Erin standing in the kitchen — LaTrobe Valley Wellbeing Officer Erin

SUNNY QUEEN IS ‘EGG-STREMELY’ PROUD TO HAVE PARTNERED WITH FOODBANK AND MAJOR RETAILERS TO HELP RAISE FUNDS TO FEED AUSSIES IN NEED

28 April 2023

Australia’s favourite smiley-faced eggs and Foodbank Australia are proof of the power of an ‘egg-ceptional’ partnership, their joint ‘Purple Egg Pack’ campaign having raised enough money in six months to provide 184,738 meals to families in need.

The product cracked the market last June with a percentage of proceeds from every carton sold at supermarket major outlets across Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales being donated towards Foodbank.

“We are egg-stremely proud to have created a Purple Foodbank Egg Carton for a very special purpose,” said Isabelle Dench, Head of Marketing of Sunny Queen Australia.

“To have provided over 184,000 meals for a cause that really matters in the first six months of the campaign is so incredible. We’re egg-cited to continue the partnership and provide even more meals by the end of the year,” she said.

The funds raised were handed over to the Foodbank team at a morning tea today, Friday, April 28.

“We are so grateful for our partnership with Sunny Queen who have supported Foodbank since 2018,” said Foodbank Australia CEO Brianna Casey.

“I have loved seeing the purple Sunny Queen Egg cartons in my local supermarket and this result is truly amazing and will make such a different to the lives of many doing it tough right now.”

To buy your own Purple Egg Pack, head to your nearest major retail outlet.

Park Towers community pantry feeding hundreds each week

About 1200 people call the Park Towers public housing in South Melbourne home. While the numbers may fluctuate, you can be certain that the majority of occupants are struggling to make ends meet on any given day.

Troy, a resident of the Towers, had a plan to open a community pantry in the base of the units, that all residents of the Towers could have access to.

Fast forward 2.5 years to now, and Troy’s plan is fully operational and helping feed about 450-500 folks each week, with no questions asked. Foodbank Victoria provides 90% of the food to help feed the residents.

Troy told us he had noticed a sharp increase in the number of people accessing the pantry and he was concerned that it was only going to get worse before it got better.

He hoped that residents, who were often suffering mental health issues, drug addiction, social awkwardness, and race and religion barriers, received a little respite through the pantry at a time when things are so tough.

Breakfast Club breaks down barriers

Horsham Primary School is a dual campus P-6 Primary School with a combined enrolment of approximately 440 students, educating those from both Horsham City and the surrounding rural areas.

Student wellbeing is a continued priority for the school, especially as almost 50 per cent of their students are statistically recognised as coming from a disadvantaged background. With this in mind, Horsham Primary School is always searching for programs that assist to prepare students to be ready to learn each day, and this is where the Foodbank School Breakfast Clubs program steps in.

Is That Music in the Air?

Brent White is the Student Wellbeing Coordinator at Horsham Primary School, and as part of this role he is responsible for the School Breakfast Clubs Program. Brent is passionate about making the breakfast accessible to kids that really need a good start to the day. His previous experience with underprivileged communities gave him good insight into stigma associated with providing free food to families. Brent wanted to make the free breakfast approachable and stigma free – so he turned to the Nutbush!

It is easy to find the Horsham Primary School Breakfast Club, because DJ Brent appears every day taking requests. The music is blasting across the school, and it brings the kids in. On any given morning, you will find 50 or 60 kids doing the Macarena, moving to the YMCA, grooving to the Nutbush, or any other dance songs the kids request.

While the music creates a fun environment, its real agenda is achieved by breaking down the stigma involved with kids needing food – especially when the whole school wants to be part of the club.

The Community Grows Tighter

Horsham Primary School uses the Breakfast Club to assist in breaking down not only personal stigma, but also barriers between the local police and school kids by inviting the local police to come along to help at the breakfasts.

“When the students meet our team in person, they are sometimes shocked to know that police are nice and just normal people. Unfortunately, some of these kids have only had negative experiences with the Police, and when they see us dancing with them it really helps to see us as people they can trust not fear”, said Leading Senior Constable Linda McLenna from the Wimmera Proactive Policing Unit.

The Proactive Policing Unit attends the breakfast clubs at both campuses, helping to set up the breakfast and serve the kids. The kids love chatting to the team and they have also been caught dancing to the YMCA!

Breaking Down Barriers

The Breakfast Club offers more than nutritional food, it also provides Horsham Primary an avenue to create a safe space for kids who are seeking responsibly in a community setting. Brent has created the Wellbeing Warriors, who are kids that he felt would benefit from being part of assisting with the program. The Wellbeing Warriors are provided with a “Helper” badge, and they come into school to help make sandwiches for lunches, sort fruit and vegetables and other roles of responsibility. The badges give the kids a sense of belonging too.

The kids feel like they are part of something special. The responsibility provided to the Wellbeing Warriors provides the kids with the feeling of being needed, which they might not always get outside of school sadly,” Brent said.

Horsham School Breakfast Club volunteer Brent

Two Horsham students with boxes of fruit

Parent Testimonial

My name is David. I am a single father of 3 children who attend the Horsham Primary School and feel so fortunate that the school has the support of Foodbank.

I have experienced many personal events that are still painful, and my children have been sadly exposed to trauma and this has created confusion, financial loss, accommodation, and food insecurity, not to mention trust issues.

However, I know through the support of Foodbank and the staff of the Horsham Primary School that my children will be treated fairly, not judged, fed when we are struggling, so school attendance is there haven and gives me the opportunity to return to work with the hope of re-establishing a life and opportunities for my family.

Having access to the food hampers allows me to feed my children over the weekends and holidays when things are tight and reinforces hope, and once I got over the embarrassment and swallowed my pride accepting support has enabled a positive shift for my children and for myself. I could not be more grateful for the support.

Tutti Frutti, you bewdy!

We know Australia has a food waste problem, right?

One of the ace things about being Foodbank is that we have some friends in high places with big hearts (Peters and Montague – looking at you). They came up with a tangy, sweet way to tackle the waste issue and raise funds for Foodbank.

A delicious sorbet stick made from rescued Aussie plums (that would otherwise have gone into landfill) that goes by the delightful name of Rescue Pops – Plums Up.

Our staff were chilled to bits when they got to sample these plummy little treats.

You can get your hands on Rescue Pops at Woolworths Supermarkets.

She’s got the whole world in her hands

Ever wondered how quickly we put your gift to work, and what that means for the incredible people who allow us to share their Foodbank stories with you?

We caught up with multi-talented mum Melita who went through such a tough time last year but has started 2023 with a new job and truckloads of positivity – thanks to you.

With support from you and her local neighbourhood house, Mill House Neighbourhood House, in Maryborough who delivers our food, Melita’s Christmas was “fantastic”.

She took her kids Madison and Luke to the beach for a picnic lunch with plenty of fresh food, sunshine and a classic Aussie treat for dessert: icy poles!

At Christmas, I looked in the cupboard, and there was food there. My car was full of petrol, and it was the first time in a long time that had happened. It gave me such a sense of freedom and relief.

Food has transformed Melita’s life. Giving her the energy to complete a community services course and score a brand new job as a health worker.

She also put her artistic skills to work over summer, painting a striking mural at Mill House for her community to enjoy.

Melita loved your Christmas messages:

“I was absolutely lost for words. These people that didn’t even know me, sending me these beautiful messages? I couldn’t believe it.”

Every $1 donated is 2 meals created

Top ATAR* score for our Home Food Packs

Our School Breakfast Clubs Program, in partnership with the Victorian Government, has delivered 30 million meals to students since day one, but once the bell goes the food challenges won’t stay in the playground.

Too many families don’t have enough food to cover meals for dinners, weekends or holidays.

When families need that extra help, we’re there for them. Our School Breakfast Clubs also provide Home Food Packs every day of the school week.

Students choose food their families will love and take it home discreetly in non-branded, reusable green bags.

Demand for the Home Food Packs is increasing each year, with 6,000 taken up in the lead up to Christmas holidays. So, we’ll be working hard in 2023 to get food to everyone who needs it.

*Always There Always Ready (not a real acronym but we wish it were!)

Cooking classes unite the community

Debney Meadows Primary School is a metropolitan school located in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Flemington with 94 students enrolled. The school prides itself on innovative teaching practices catering to the individual learning needs of every child, and aims to foster and balance the intellectual, physical, cultural and social development of its students.

Debney Meadows is always looking for innovative ways to bring the school community closer together, so when they were invited to join Foodbank Victoria’s Schools Breakfast Clubs Programs Cooking Classes, they were quick to sign up.

The Cooking Class program runs for four weeks, bringing families and students together to learn about cooking with new ingredients as a family.

Debney Meadows Primary School is located close to the Flemington Housing Estate, with many multicultural families attending the school. The cooking classes provided an opportunity for families to spend time with their children within the school grounds, and even improved school attendance in some cases.

Marwa Zakzouk, a parent Council Member, said “The cooking classes have allowed these families to learn about new ingredients and food from other cultures, and how to cook them. It’s important for these kids to learn how to cook with their parents, and to be trusted in the kitchen.”

What happens at the cooking classes?

The Foodbank team packs up all the ingredients into the Cooking Class van and heads to the school to lead the cooking classes. Each school has a different space to host the classes, with some classes being held in a staff room with no cooking equipment at all. This helps to ensure schools have no barriers to participate in terms of infrastructure and resources.

Debney Meadows Primary School luckily has a well-equipped kitchen space that was perfect for these classes. The families involved spent four afternoons gathered around the kitchen benches ready to cook.

Each week a group of families, one parent and one or two students, learnt how to cook a new recipe. The classes encouraged the kids to learn about using cooking equipment safely, and they loved having the opportunity to chop vegetables while their parents are watching closely.

Education at its best!

The Cooking Classes provide a hands-on way to learn important life skills, that some students do not have the opportunity to learn at home. The families participating not only learn cooking skills, they also learn about nutrition and safe food handling.

One of the kids’ favourite part of the program is the white bread handling test. The kids test three pieces of bread. One is handled with unwashed hands, one is handled after washing hands and the other is handled with clean tongs. Each piece of bread is then placed into a bag and left for the next week. The students then review the bread at the next class, assessing the mould levels. There are lots of gasps when the kids see the difference in mould level between the dirty hands and the clean tongs! Reinforcing the importance of hand hygiene when cooking and preparing meals.

These hands-on practical teaching methods, along with pictorial recipes (visual recipe to cater for diversity in language and literacy) resonate with the families and children alike, especially as 89 per cent of Debney Meadows Primary School school families have English as an additional language.

The kids love the food!

The recipes and ingredients used at the Cooking Classes are often new to the participants. This adds new weekly meals that the families can continue to cook, and food that the kids love to eat. The classes have shown that if they kids are involved in the cooking, they tend to love the food they make and be more adventurous with trying new things, especially the veggie-packed recipes

Families receive free food hampers at our Drive Thru

With food, rent, energy costs and interest rate rises continuing to push more Victorians into severe food insecurity in the lead-up to Christmas, we ran an emergency public Drive Thru on Sunday, 4 December.

We had 1,600 cars come through the Drive Thru sites in at the in Epping and Dandenong to receive free hampers with fresh food and pantry staples. No questions asked.

Thanks to an incredible effort from our staff and volunteers, and Chobani and Melbourne Market staff, we were able to provide hampers to Victorians doing it tough.