Eumemmerring Primary School students Anthony, Stephanie, Nikita and Brandon enjoy apples and oranges at the Breakfast Club launch.THE City of Casey and the Australian Red Cross have enabled students at Eumemmerring Primary School to become members of the 100th Good Start Breakfast Club, following a recent pyjama party launch.
The program, run in partnership with Sanitarium, sees volunteers serve a nutritious breakfast to children who might otherwise go without.
Casey mayor Kevin Bradford said everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it could also be the easiest meal to skip.
“The Good Start Breakfast Club helps children develop healthy breakfast habits that will set them up for life,” he said.
“I congratulate the children and staff at Eumemmerring Primary School, and particularly the volunteers, addressing this matter proactively by becoming involved in the Breakfast Club.”
Australian Red Cross Victoria’s community programs operations manager Elias Lebbos said breakfast assisted children’s physical, mental and emotional development.
“Children who miss breakfast are less able to concentrate, more prone to fidgeting and find learning difficult by mid-morning, and can suffer from obesity later in life,” he said.
The introduction of the program at Doveton is the result of a community partnership.
The State Government’s Neighbourhood Renewal program joined with Training and Employment Services Australia (TESA) to apply for community enterprise funding, which resulted in the establishment of a community kitchen in the Doveton Neighbourhood Learning Centre.
The kitchen provides work experience and training for local people, who make products for sale including Christmas cakes, with proceeds supporting breakfast clubs.
The other breakfast club in the area operates at Doveton Secondary College.
The Australian Red Cross also hopes to open a club at Eumemmerring Secondary College, Endeavour Hills campus.
