$1M to Extend School Breakfast program

More Queensland children will have access to a healthy and nutritious breakfast to start their school day, with the Palaszczuk Government providing more than $1 million to expand a school breakfast program across the state.

The Premier said it was a priority of her government to give all our children a great start and not every family was able to provide every child with breakfast.

The extra funding would see close to 14,000 meals distributed to Queensland children every week.

“We know that children who start the day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast are better able to concentrate and learn at school,” she said.

Communities Minister Coralee O’Rourke said many children come to school without breakfast.

“That’s why I am delighted the government is providing $260,000 per year for four years to Foodbank Queensland to further expand school breakfast programs across the state,” she said.

“This program is a fantastic way to ensure more children have their most important meal of the day.”

The program has rolled out to schools across south-east Queensland along with the Burdekin, Gladstone, Townsville and Bundaberg areas.

Foodbank works with a number of non-government organisations to help deliver the school breakfast program across the state. A typical breakfast under the program includes toast, spreads, fresh fruit, cereal and milk.

“Foodbank Queensland supplies the food and goods to the schools and teams of hard working volunteers at each school run the program,” Mrs O’Rourke said.

“We have focused our expansion on schools where parents are more likely to need a helping hand with cost of living pressures, and which don’t already have a breakfast program.

“Dozens of schools across the state served up their first breakfasts under the program at the start of this school term, and we’re looking forward to seeing the positive contribution this program has for these students.”

Foodbank Queensland CEO Michael Rose said Foodbank had been working hard to register the 62 schools targeted under the program.

“This funding enables us to take a proactive approach to help feed more kids around the state,” he said.

“We are delighted that we have been able to exceed that target, and for the start of Term 3 we have 70 new schools, 28 of these in regional Queensland.

“The YMCA is our largest provider for School Breakfast Programs in Queensland and were instrumental in helping us to enlist 20 new schools of the 70.”

The Palaszczuk Government will also provide a further $15,000 per year for four years to the YMCA for the operation of a refrigerated truck to assist with food deliveries as part of the school breakfast program.

Mrs O’Rourke said the YMCA delivered food to participating schools across south east Queensland. 

“With the increased number of schools to the programme, the YMCA required another refrigerated truck to meet the increased needs,” she said. 

The Palaszczuk Government also provides more than $850,000 each year to Foodbank Queensland to distribute food to charities and community groups for vulnerable people in Queensland.

Mrs O’Rourke said the Palaszczuk Government’s funding for the schools breakfast program was another example of its commitment to creating empowered, resilient and thriving communities.

ENDS

Media Contact: Shane Doherty 0439 624 473