Foodbank teams up with Kelloggs to feeds thousands of students

A BIG bowl of cereal is the difference between a pass or fail for many students. Thousands of students in Sydney’s west and southwest are entering the school gates with an empty stomach.

Breakfast can make a real difference in the classroom.

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A BIG bowl of cereal is the difference between a pass or fail for many students.

And working families are the hardest hit when it comes to the outcome of their child’s education.

Something as simple as having food in their tummy is all it takes to help get them over the line.

Eight per cent of southwest Sydney’s population suffer with food insecurity, a statistic one organisation wants to reduce.

Foodbank, one of Australia’s largest food relief organisations, has teamed up with Kelloggs to ensure southwest Sydney students have the best chance at their learning.

Twice a week they visit Cabramatta High School, offering brekky club. Hundreds of students each week take advantage of the simple spread of cereal, tinned fruit and tins of baked beans and spaghetti.

They also hold brekky clubs at Cabramatta West Public School and Auburn Public School.

Foodbank general manager Sarah Pennell said more schools were understanding that in order to do their job and give children the best possible opportunities with their academic pursuits, breakfast was key.

She said knock on effects of hunger in the classroom included concentration problems, mood changes and behavioural issues.

“The number of children going to school without breakfast is significant,” she said.

“Obviously there are areas where the prevalence is high ... it’s a larger problem than people understand.”

Ms Pennell said working families were the hardest hit.

“Charities tell us that’s the largest single group of people they see.

“We all have this perception it’s homeless people and unemployed people who experience food insecurity.

“A recent study indicated one in five children are experiencing going to bed or going to school hungry Australia wide.”

She said families might do well most of the time, but all it takes is a bill shock to push a family into a predicament of not being able to make ends meet.

“Our aim with the brekky clubs is to provide a nutritious start to the day for kids.

“The kids socialise with each other and there is no judgment. Often food-insecure children are marginalised.

“And brekky club reduces absenteeism. The benefits are enormous.”

Ms Pennell said they provided food to 1750 brekky clubs Australia wide and that wasn’t even “touching the sides”.

“We need to do more. We aspire to provide food to double the number of schools but funding is required — we can’t just rely on food donations.”