Stratford school students to benefit from adopt-a-lunch programme

Rochelle Steer with some of the packed lunches made for the adopt-a-lunch programme.

Stratford school students who might usually go without won't have to anymore, thanks to the adopt-a-lunch programme run by the Kai Kitchen Trust.

The programme enables individuals to sponsor a child's lunch for $5 a week.

Operations manager Rochelle Steer says the Kai Kitchen Trust has been making school lunches for children and teens for four and a half years. The lunches are provided to children who would otherwise not have one.

Since the initiative started, the trust has made 55,000 lunches.

"We had to find a way to sustain ourselves. We took a leaf out of World Vision's book. They have sponsor a child and I thought if people donated to those overseas, then surely they'd help someone in their own community."

She says the adopt-a-lunch programme has been successful.

"As lunch numbers rise, the adopt-a-lunch people need to rise as well. As there are more and more children living in food uncertainty, the dollars are not stretching as far as they used to."

Currently the Kai Kitchen Trust makes lunches for 117 children.

"Ideally we would like 117 people adopting a child's lunch. At present we have over 65 sponsors.

"It is heart warming that people will dig in their own pockets for strangers. My favourite thing about being involved with Kai Kitchen is seeing that happen. Small communities help each other."