Korean Consulate funds dosirak lunch box meals to feed hungry Kiwi kids

About 1200 school kids who usually go to school without food will this week be getting their tummies filled with Korean lunch box meals.

Dosirak, or Korean lunch boxes, have been prepared by AUT culinary arts senior lecturer Michael Choi and put together by 70 volunteers from the local Korean community.

The lunch boxes, funded by the Korean Consulate, are being distributed to 12 primary schools who applied to receive them.

The dosirak contains Korean style chicken, sesame rice, vegetable salad, soya milk and apple.

Fairburn School deputy principal Maureen Woodard said the school the lunch boxes would go to children who come to school without food due to financial difficulties.

The school runs a regular programme providing lunch to students on a needs basis which it does in a discrete manner so that children don't feel embarrassed about asking or receiving.

"Times are very hard for a number of our families, and our school sees that this is a way that we can provide a little support and also enable children to come to school, who may have stayed home previously when they didn't have lunch to bring," Woodard said.

"We were thrilled to have the offer from the Korean consulate as a one off to subsidise what we do currently, especially as it will be different to the normal lunch provided."

Consul-General Chang Soon Cha said the dosirak project was a way for Korea to "give back" to New Zealand.

"South Korea is one of the nations that benefited from generous foreign aid including New Zealand during the Korean War in the 1950s," Cha said.

"Now, it's our turn to give back to the society extending our helping hands to those who are in need."

Cha said she did not feel it was right for any children to be going to school hungry.
"For Koreans, dosirak always goes with the warmth of the mother," she said.

"We hope to create a similar empathy we have with dosirak with children here and to get our message across that 'we do care about them'."

Cha said the consulate intended to make the programme a regular thing if it was well received.

Michael Choi, who owns Lucky Buddha restaurant on Fort St, said he decided to get involved with the project so hungry children could get good food - even if it was for just a day.

"As a father of two primary school girls, I believe that all children should have their healthy and balanced school lunch regardless of their social economic background," Choi said.

AUT's School of Hospitality and Tourism and food suppliers, such as JR wholesale Meats and Bidfood, are also backing the project.

"I hope and believe that all children deserve to have full tummies with tasty and balanced lunch," Choi said.

"I'm hoping this project will also help and empower families to shop for and prepare healthy meals for our kids."

It is estimated that about 40,000 Kiwi children are fed by charities.