The most important meal of the day is on the menu with Newman Senior High School introducing breakfasts for kids in need.
Muesli bars, cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, dried fruit boxes and cooked breakfasts are being trialed to increase at-risk students’ school attendance through a partnership between the school’s home economics department and the YMCA’s remote school attendance strategy.
YMCA WA RSAS co-ordinator Sue Lovett said something was missing to provide the students with a better start to the day — breakfast.
“I wanted to give the kids something more substantial and healthier so they had the right fuel to nourish their brains and bodies and help them get through the whole day,” she said.
“I met the school’s home economics teacher Courtney Moyes to discuss recipes, student nutrition, the best meals to help get them through the day, and possibly even through to the next morning.”
Under the program, students referred by the school and the Department for Communities will receive healthy meals prepared twice weekly from the school’s engagement officers, Bronson Maher and Sasha Wells, school Home Economics teacher Ms Moyes.
The meals will be put in takeaway containers and given to students during their bus ride to school.
“We have a bus which collects the students in the morning and more and more students are riding in the bus to take part of the meal program,” Ms Lovett said.
“Some of the students will eat their meals on the way to school, but many save their meal for lunchtime.
“We know that many students unfortunately do not have access to food, so we hope the YMCA RSAS meal initiative can assist in filling that void.”
The initiative is due to run until the end of this year.
