Cost of living: Dandenong Council reaches out to struggling families
A council in Melbourne’s southeast is looking to help take the pressure off parents battling to make ends meet and put food on the table.
South East
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A council in Melbourne’s southeast is looking to make life a little easier for families as the cost of living continues to soar.
St Joseph’s Primary School hosted the launch on School Breakfast Resource Kit alongside the City of Greater Dandenong Council, showcasing how the council will provide the resources for schools to start their own breakfast programs.
The council’s aim is to enable schools to ensure all students are starting their day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast.
The council has been told schools across the area are recording an increased in the number of students coming to school hungry
Healthy Kids Adviser to the council, Belinda Nowakowski, said schools were looking to mitigate the issue, but didn’t know where to begin.
“I began compiling a list of simple and healthy breakfast recipes for the schools, tips on how to source food donations and volunteers and even a guide to emergency food relief organisations for families in need,” she said.
“It’s so satisfying to see how initial conversations with my council partners led to developing this fantastic resource.”
Children benefit from starting their day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast in numerous ways, including increasing their ability to concentrate, improving their punctuality, increasing social skills and improving their overall health and wellbeing.
In Victoria, 13 councils offer assistance in supporting schools to set up their own breakfast programs, including Mildura Rural City Council, Hume City Council and Melton City Council.
Ms Nowakowski offers free one-on-one support to local schools, outside hours school care, sports clubs and communities to help boost access to fresh food and drinks. To contact her, click here.
If you are a school or community group in the City of Greater Dandenong, you can find out more about setting up your own breakfast program here.
gemma.scerri@news.com.au
