The Prins Willem Alexander School in The Hague has creatively utilised the school meals budget. Two initiatives stand out: the JEF cupboard, a giveaway cupboard for families, and the 'Full Tummies' project, where children take home a box full of groceries five times a year. Deputy Director Maxime van Boheemen and liaison officer Marloes Gaillard are passionately committed to projects that help families. Whenever possible, students are also involved.
Liaison officer Marloes saw the JEF cupboard at another school. It is a low-threshold initiative for which she does the shopping online at the local supermarket every week. Named after the Youth Education Fund, the JEF cupboard is located in an accessible spot in the school hall and is open three mornings a week. Here, parents can take products from the cupboard, but they can also place items back, such as toys or other necessities. “It works on trust,” Marloes explains. “There is a note on the cupboard with the rules, but we do not check during opening hours.”
The cupboard contains non-perishable and healthy products such as pasta, rice, breakfast cereals, and sandwich spreads, but sometimes also fresh vegetables and fruit like potatoes, carrots, or apples. “We get advice from parents on what they would like to see in the cupboard. This way, we add to the shopping list what is really needed and healthy.”
The JEF cupboard is not only a practical resource but also a way to bring parents into contact with the school in a low-threshold manner, Marloes explains: “Some parents help keep the stock up to date. And grateful parents often stop by for a chat. This opens doors to offer other help as well.” It is a school-wide concept involving everyone (students, parents, teachers, management team, local supermarket). Besides the cupboard, the Prins Willem Alexander School also uses the school meals budget for breakfast boxes and daily school fruit. The breakfast boxes are in every classroom. If children come to school hungry or feel peckish for any reason, they can take something to eat from the box. The box contains items like breakfast cakes, muesli bars, crackers, and corn cakes that they can spread with 100% peanut butter or sandwich spread.
In addition to the JEF cupboard, the school has set up the ‘Full Tummies’ project. Five times a year, all children take home a box full of groceries. The initiative started small during the Christmas period but quickly grew into a structural project. “We fill a gymnasium with food, and children take home a box full of healthy and tasty products,” Maxime explains. “It is wonderful to see how happy families are with this. The contents of the boxes are carefully put together in collaboration with parents and the local supermarket. Lars Jeremic and Ilias Chohabi, the managers of our regular supermarket, are very involved with the JEF cupboard and the ‘Full Tummies’ project. Without them, this would not have been such a success,” says Maxime. The Prins Willem Alexander School consciously chooses nutritious products that are accessible to all families. They also try to add something special to the boxes, such as cookie baking mixes during the Christmas period, so the family has an activity to do together.
The project goes beyond just distributing groceries. In some editions, children can fill their own box through a course in the gymnasium. This spring, after Ramadan, the school is organising a fresh market with stalls full of healthy and fresh products. “We link this to lessons, so it also contributes educationally,” Maxime explains. At the end of the day, the children have learned something and go home with a bag of fresh products.
Although organising these projects takes time, smart collaborations and involved parents ensure it remains feasible, Marloes explains. “We have mothers who help and colleagues who pitch in. Additionally, the collaboration with the supermarket plays an important role. “They deliver the products when we need them and even support us with boxes and storage space.” The project is also an inspiration for other schools. Maxime encourages schools to start small and seek collaborations. “It doesn’t have to be perfect, but with a bit of effort, you can really make a difference.”
With the JEF cupboard and ‘Full Tummies’, the Prins Willem Alexander School shows how creatively the school meals budget can be used. The school demonstrates that practical help and education can go hand in hand. If you want to know more about these initiatives as a school, Maxime and Marloes warmly invite you to call. They are happy to tell you more.
Curious about how other schools do it? Look here for more inspiration and to see if your school qualifies.
At De Springplank in Zutphen, a primary school for special education in a beautiful new building, the extra December budget is given a creative twist. Mattias van Os, sports teacher and school meals coordinator, explains how they are giving out Christmas packages to students for the second year in a row at the start of the holiday.
Packing Christmas Packets Together with the School Meals Budget. Schools that offer meals receive an extra high budget in December. This allows for extras, such as a Christmas dinner or Christmas packets. At VSO de Monoliet in Leeuwarden, they chose the latter. Coordinator Klaas Nieuwhof enthusiastically explains: “We wanted to do something that not only benefits all students but also actively involves them.” The idea arose during a brainstorming session with the working group that Klaas and his colleagues, who organise the school meals, are part of. “We discussed how we could link this December activity to an internal internship,” Klaas explains. De Monoliet has a warehouse where a safe working environment can be simulated. "This provides our students with an educational place to develop practical skills with the aim of eventually being able to independently undertake external internships."
Now that the Budget Memorandum has been presented on Prinsjesdag, we know for sure: school meals will go ahead! The budget includes a structural allocation of 135 million euros for school meals. “This is fantastic news for the 350,000 children for whom school meals make the difference between sitting in class hungry or not,” says Hans Spekman, director of the Youth Education Fund, which runs the School Meals Programme together with the Dutch Red Cross. “School meals contribute to increasing equal opportunities, reducing (child) poverty, and promoting a healthy lifestyle among children. Fortunately, the politicians see this too.”
A mosaic of children's drawings forming a plate of food adorns the back of today's Algemeen Dagblad. In the full-page advertisement, 350,000 children urge politicians to continue with school meals. Time is running out to prevent children from sitting in class hungry. Although most schools have resumed and the government programme is about to be presented, it is still unclear whether the School Meals Programme will continue after December 2024. Students, parents, and teachers are very concerned and participated en masse in a drawing campaign initiated by the Youth Education Fund.
