Back to school for students in the Limestone Coast may look a little different this year, but Foodbank SA in Mount Gambier will continue supplying nutritious breakfast foods to 26 schools throughout the region.
Foodbank has a mission to ensure no Limestone Coast children attend school hungry and the organisation relies on funding to support the Breakfast Program each year.
Bendigo Bank and NF McDonnell & Sons are long-term sponsors of the Breakfast Program and Foodbank is pleased to announce that with the sale of NF McDonnell and Sons to AAM, the new owners have committed to continue the sponsorship for 2022.
Foodbank secured $10,000 from each sponsor, which will provide fresh fruit, bread, milk, cereals and spreads for school children throughout the Limestone Coast region.
“We just could not run the School Breakfast program without our sponsors,” Foodbank Mount Gambier Branch Manager Lynne Neshoda said.
“We are very lucky to live in such a generous community.
“It is fabulous to not only have Bendigo Bank continue their support to Foodbank but to have AAM, who are new to the region, committed to helping regional and rural everyday families in need.”
Ms Neshoda said eating breakfast had many positive benefits for children, such as improving physical and mental health, concentration, behaviour, social skills and attendance.
She said teachers and well-being staff continued to see an increase in the need for food in schools.
“Any child can go to the breakfast program, it is not discriminative and it ensures that children throughout the Limestone Coast have a healthy start to their day,” Ms Neshoda said.
Bendigo Bank Acting Branch Manager Emma Horrigan said it was great to continue helping people in need.
“It’s a great initiative and it’s something the Bendigo bank has been part of for a long time,” Ms Horrigan said.
“It’s all about community, it’s about helping each other out.
“We have got a good partnership that’s happening at the moment, so we look forward to continuing on with this.”
NF McDonnell & Sons Chief Executive Officer Craig Nisbet said the AAM group was very impressed with the program and the work that was done at Foodbank.
“They were equally as excited to continue that sponsorship and that work,” Mr Nisbet said.
“The group themselves, they’re based in regional and rural communities, so they understand the impact of these programs in these local communities.
“They were just really keen to continue that sponsorship and keep the good work going.”
