The Really Good School Dinner

Below is a press release from The School Food Trust about a fantastic project they are running to support school meals in the developing world. Essentially its a BOGOF offer. Have a read below


The Really Good School Dinner Joins Fight Against World Hunger

-Year two of campaign set to raise £££thousands for the world’s poorest children and increase healthy school dinner take-up

- Schools invited to sign up here:



The School Food Trust, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Schools Minister and International Development Secretary, today join in support to launch registration for the Really Good School Dinner, inviting school children to buy one, give one free.



The unique campaign gives UK schools the chance to help children in some of the world’s poorest countries by adding just 10p extra to the price of their usual school meal. Every extra 10p donated goes to the WFP and is enough to pay for a whole meal for a child who might otherwise go hungry.



For one week next January pupils across the country will take part in this nationwide scheme that gives children in the developing world school meals and the chance of an education. Often, those children can’t go to school because they have to work to feed themselves. The campaign also encourages more pupils in this country to try school food, which is now governed by nutritional standards, so guarantees them a healthy meal.



The first Really Good School Dinner in January 2009 saw more than 118,000 school dinners eaten by children in schools around the country, raising a total of £11,855 for the WFP. Schools are invited to register now for January 2010 at http://www.getreal.uk.com/really-good-school-dinner.html.



Schools Minister, Diana Johnson said: "The Really Good School Dinner campaign is an excellent way to encourage pupils to choose school lunches, which, thanks to the changes that we and the School Food Trust have made, are now high quality, packed with fresh ingredients and nutritious. At the same time, it gives every pupil the chance to help another less fortunate child overseas, and highlights the important global issue of world hunger.



"So the Really Good School Dinner means that pupils here will not only be benefiting from a healthy school lunch, but they will also be giving at the same time, and that's why I encourage schools to register and get involved."



International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander added: "We welcome this joint initiative between the World Food Programme and the School Food Trust. With global food prices so high, school feeding can play a role in developing countries to get girls and boys to regularly attend school.



"What's more, by linking different perspectives on a shared issue, the Really Good School Dinner campaign will also help raise awareness of development issues in UK schools and support the global dimension of the citizenship curriculum."



Once registered, pupils create on the Really Good School Dinner website their own school’s virtual dinner table complete with personalised characters. They receive an information pack including lesson plans, information about world hunger, a hunger map, international recipes, case studies, posters to help spread the word and a collection bucket wrap.



In the run up to the campaign going live (25 – 29 January 2010), schools go back to the Really Good School Dinner website and pledge how many meals they will be having. Schools with most pledges appear on the website’s top 10 league table.



When asked what difference the Really Good School Dinner would make to children at her school Josephine Mumo, the Headmistress of the Stara Rescue Centre School in Kenya said: "The school meals WFP provide in the slums go a long way towards getting children off the dangerous streets and into classrooms where they can learn on a full stomach."



School Food Trust Chief Executive Judy Hargadon, commented: “This campaign highlights two hugely important issues: the importance to children’s well-being in the UK of eating a healthy school lunch and the increasing problem of world food shortages.



“The enthusiasm by participating schools last time was amazing. Taking part is easy, good fun and addresses these important issues, so I encourage schools to join in and help make this Really Good School Dinner an unprecedented success.”



The World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.



Caroline Hurford, spokesperson for the World Food Programme, added: "Thanks to funds raised by the Really Good School Dinner, the World Food Programme has provided over 100,000 nutritious school meals for hungry children in the developing world. For the world's poorest children, free school meals do not just fill empty bellies but encourage children to attend school, giving them the chance of a brighter future."



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