“I challenge you to go to any school and open 50 lunchboxes, and I guarantee you there will be one or two cans of Red Bull, there’ll be cold McDonald’s and jam sandwiches with several cakes,” Jamie Oliver once famously said.
But an even worse scenario than a lunchbox plagued with poor nutrition is a little growing person’s lunchbox having no food inside it at all.
Without food, no-one can survive.
But with wholesome and nourishing food, we can do more than just survive; we can thrive.
The 160 students at Mooroopna Park Primary School are a testament to this theory.
Since implementing its unique food program in 2019 — providing all kids from Prep to Year 6 breakfast, a hot lunch, morning and afternoon tea daily — the school has experienced increased enrolments and attendance, improved behaviour and more willingness to learn by the students.
And now, the people who’ve made it happen have been recognised with a prestigious golden spoon award and $10,000 prizemoney for the school presented by celebrity chef Oliver himself at a glamorous event on board Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas cruise ship docked in Sydney’s Circular Quay on November 13.
The Food for Movement Award was one of five awards granted at the inaugural Jamie Oliver Food Hero Awards Australia, which acknowledge people nationwide who do amazing things to inspire kids through healthy food.
The Food for Movement category is about kids eating good food and being active to benefit their mind, body and soul.
“We’re very proud,” Mooroopna Park Primary School principal Hayden Beaton said.
“It’s not all about winning these awards, but it’s good recognition for people involved in the program for sure.”
The school was nominated several times by volunteers, partners and associates, before being invited to submit further information ahead of the judging process.
Trade professionals and a celebrity panel, including Jessica Rowe and The Wiggles, considered entries before deciding the winner, who were the ones to receive celebrity treatment at the ceremony, with Oliver personally cooking for them on the ship at his resident restaurant, Jamie’s Italian.
Mr Beaton said receiving the award was exciting, but also validating.
“All the staff, volunteers that give up their time and they do a really good job,” he said.
“It does take a lot of work to keep it running, it’s not just about what happens in there (the school’s The Park Cafe) day to day; it’s about keeping our sponsors and making sure we’ve got enough volunteers in there.”
Mooroopna Park Primary School wellbeing co-ordinator Lisa Hueston said there had been lots of other schools visit to see how the program ran, but that its success was dependent on a few key ingredients.
“I think if you don’t have a team willing to put in the work and the effort, it wouldn’t happen,” Ms Hueston said.
“We are very lucky that we have lots of community partnerships.
“There’s a lot of things that happen behind the scenes, it’s not just about feeding the kids.”
The school has fortified partnerships with organisations and businesses including The Lighthouse Project, which Mr Beaton said was instrumental in helping initiate the program five years ago and also provided volunteers; Eat Up, an organisation founded by former Shepparton man Lyndon Galea that donates sandwiches and other snacks to schools across Australia for students who come without lunch; Shepparton FoodShare; Food Bank; Everyday Supplies; and Plunkett Orchards, which has supported the school since day one and contributes up to 500 pieces of fruit for the students each week.
Other supporters help intermittently with supplies for the program and the school’s dignity pantry, which is available to families in the foyer.
“Because we’ve got so many great people involved in our school, it costs our families nothing, with a lot of hard work and a great team behind us,” Ms Hueston said.
She said the experience of being flown to Sydney and spoiled by Oliver was wholesome after their years of hard work.
“We’re passionate about what we do. We love what we’re doing and we see the kids thrive from what we provide for them,” she said.
“People were really overawed with what we’re doing and asking lots of questions.”
Mr Beaton said it helped him to step back and look at the program from the outside.
“To us, it’s just part of the program,” Mr Beaton said.
“But sometimes it’s good to just reflect and say ‘yeah, it’s good what we’re doing’.”
Oliver has also said in the past he left school with “basically nothing” as he was a “special needs kid”.
“I did feel as though my school had let me down,” he said.
For Mooroopna Park Primary School students, it looks like the opposite will be true.