Cade Lucas
Students arriving at Werribee’s Wyndham Park Primary School on Wednesday, were greeted with a familiar face.
Premier Jacinta Allan was in the canteen serving breakfast to students before their first classes of the year on January 31.
Flanked by Education Minister Ben Carroll and Tarneit MP Dylan Wright, the premier was there to celebrate 40 million meals being delivered by the School Breakfast Club Program.
Operated in conjunction with Foodbank Victoria, the school breakfast club program was established in 2016 to provide meals to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The program now operates in 1000 schools across the state and Premier Allan said it was especially important given the current pressure on household budgets.
“This is just one small but important way we’re helping busy, hardworking families with the cost of living and the cost of learning.”
Wyndham Park Primary School principal John Eskander said the popularity of the breakfast club at his school was indicative of the financial stress local families were under.
“The majority of our 400 students access breakfast club daily,” he said.
“It’s highly successful because our children come from a low socioeconomic area where financially it might be challenging for them to access breakfast every day.”
Foodbank Victoria CEO, Dave McNamara, said demand for the program wasn’t just confined to less affluent suburbs and regions, but was now statewide.
“Demand for the program grew by 35 per cent last year, and with the cost-of-living crisis,
unfortunately we expect demand will continue to grow as we continue to offer
nutritious food to kids, who would otherwise spend the day hungry at school.”
Along with celebrating the 40 million meal milestone the state government has also committed to expanding the breakfast club program, allocating $69.5 million towards it in the last state budget.
While that will feed many more school kids, John Eskander said the benefits of the program went beyond just providing a free meal.
“It’s also an opportunity for our parents to come through the gate and for us to make connections with families and develop positive relationships.”
