Millions of meals delivered through school breakfast clubs

Millions of free meals cooked by Foodbank Victoria have been delivered to students during remote learning thanks to the Victorian Governments School Breakfast Clubs program.

Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas, announced the School Breakfast Clubs program has delivered more than 2.5 million meals in Term 2 and Term 3 to students during the coronavirus pandemic, with schools taking unique and tailored approaches to providing healthy food to their communities.

This has included handing out school holiday supply packs, delivering meals to students’ homes and making up packs with extra products to give to families in need of additional support.

Since beginning in 2016, the program has delivered over 13.4 million free and healthy meals. Schools in the Macedon electorate that are taking part in the program include –

Daylesford Primary School, serving over 26,000 meals Hepburn Primary School, serving over 12,500 meals Toolern Vale and District Primary School, serving over 8,400 meals Coimadai Primary School, 4,800 meals Langley Primary School, serving over 2,500 meals Kyneton Secondary College, serving over 800 meals Kyneton Primary School, serving over 900 meals Taradale Primary School, serving over 1,700 meals Tylden Primary School, serving over 1000 meals Despite students learning from home, an extra 110 schools have joined the School Breakfast Clubs program during Term 3, bringing this to a total of 861 schools participating in the program.

The School Breakfast Clubs program provides free and healthy breakfasts to students and has been expanded to offer lunches as well as school holiday supplies to students who need them. This ensure that students can learn on a full stomach.

The Victorian Government invested $58 million over four years into the expansion of the program, helping more than 1,000 schools support their students by ensuring they don’t go hungry.

Quotes attributable to Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas MP
"Even when learning remotely, with healthy food in their tummies, kids can concentrate properly. They can start the day with a belly full of food, enthusiasm and optimism – about the day ahead, and the road ahead."

"We all know it’s hard to focus when you’re hungry. That’s why this program is so vital in providing nutritious food to kids who might otherwise go without."