More than 5000 children go to school each day without breakfast and Bendigo Bank, partner of Foodbank SA’s Power to End Hunger Campaign to stamp out hunger in schools, will support twenty schools across South Australia to feed their students a healthy breakfast.
Bendigo Bank’s State Manager Craig Ralston is proud to be associated with the program.
“The Bendigo Bank Healthy Start Breakfast Club will provide a healthy breakfast to children who would normally start their day without food at all,” Mr Ralston said.
‘’Through our commitment to building sustainable, prosperous communities we identified this as a program where we could make help to make a real difference.”
“Too many South Australian children go to school every day without breakfast and as you can imagine, when children are hungry they find it very difficult to concentrate, learn and achieve their best.”
Mr Ralston said Bendigo Bank branch staff will volunteer their time for breakfast programs at nearby schools and offer financial literacy to parents, students, and staff.
“We know that there is a strong link between poverty and hunger, so by better equipping parents with some key financial building blocks and budgeting advice, we hope to improve the well-being of their children, their families and their community in which they live,’’ he said.
Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas applauded Bendigo Bank for playing such an important role in alleviating hunger in schools.
“I’m delighted that Bendigo Bank has partnered with the Port Adelaide Football Club and Foodbank SA to tackle the alarming issue of children going to school hungry,” Mr Thomas said.
“We see this as a holistic approach with three partners coming together to address such an important social issue. It is vital that like organisations who share a social conscience join forces to address and correct some of the bigger issues in society.
“The Port Adelaide Football Club believes it is critical that parents and children in their formative years are educated about the importance of healthy eating, physical activity and financial literacy.”
Port Adelaide launched the Power to End Hunger Campaign in 2012 with the view of raising awareness of the issue of hunger in the community and to drive new financial support for Foodbank SA and its efforts to assist more than 600 charities, welfare agencies and school breakfast programs in South Australia.
Port Adelaide has carried the Power to End Hunger message onto the field this season with Foodbank SA logo proudly displayed on the player’s shorts.
