Victorian students get food packs to help over holidays
School holidays should see kids hanging out with mates and enjoying a break. But for hundreds of Victorian students, it’s a time of “trauma”. Now a simple plan could help get them through.
Education
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Students in need will get school holiday packs to address trauma and food shortages at a time principals say can be tough for kids.
Boxes of food and supplies will be sent home with more than 1700 students across the state on the last day of school term in a $1.5 million government program.
The packs are designed to feed children breakfast and snacks for two weeks, with long life milk, cereal, fruit cups, baked beans and Vegemite.
Bundoora Primary School principal Lee Pollard said holidays can be a time of “heightened trauma” for many children, some who can be exposed to tough environments, poor nutrition or loneliness.
“When they return, sometimes kids are that relieved to be back at school, in their safe place where they have structure or routine,” Ms Pollard said.
She said often children who experience trauma or poverty in the home can “go backwards” during the holiday break.
“And they don’t just fall back two weeks, they fall back much more,” she said.
St Albans North Primary School council president Maria Falleti said the packs — part of a $58 million extension to the school breakfast program — would also help families struggling financially.
“It will make a difference for me to keep my budget, I won’t be stressing as much and the kids may be able to do one or two activities in the holidays now,” she said.
“I think it’s a very good initiative.”
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Education Minister James Merlino said the packs would provide “lunch and school holiday supplies to kids who need them”.
“Not all students live in a home with enough food in the fridge. Sending these boxes of food supplies home with students over the school holidays is a very real way that we can support children and families who are doing it tough,” he said.
More than 7 per cent of the state’s children come from households that reported running out of food in 12 months, the 2017 State of Victoria’s Children report found.