Breakfast for 11,000
A before school program in the Western Downs is serving brekky to country kids five days a week.
Young brains need food for focus. With plenty of learning to be done for the kids at Tara Shire State College, a breakfast club is keeping students from K to 12 fuelled and ready to study and play.
Feeding 130 to 150 students every morning five days a week, the brekky club is putting out around 11,000 meals a year and we’re not just talking about cereal and a cuppa either. School Chef Mason and a crew of parent volunteers are serving up healthy hot breakfasts, fresh fruits, toast, the whole show.
The program goes beyond just the meal. An indigenous garden and a paddock to plate garden helps students learn about the produce they enjoy, and a cooking program empowering students to turn that produce into delicious meals.
About 300 clicks or four hours west of Brisbane in the Western Downs the Tara District has one of the lowest socioeconomic profiles in the country. Food insecurity and poor nutrition were contributing factors to declining education outcomes.
With the support of Shell QGC, who fund the project as part of supporting their activities in Tara and surrounding areas, school outcomes reporting shows that disruptiveness is down and attendance is up. Teachers are reporting higher levels of concentration and engagement.
Tara Shire State College Principal Belinda Walker says she has seen a shift in the students’ enthusiasm around coming to school in the morning and reflects on how chef Mason is a role model for them.
“They get to see a young person up early, preparing food from scratch, and his interactions on a daily basis with them are so positive.”
Even Chef Mason has noticed an improvement in the kids.
“I can see the difference. Going into the day they’ve got full bellies, they’re ready to rumble,” he said.
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