“Over 1,300 Schools in the Netherlands Sign Up for Free Meals and Food Support for Students”

One in six schools in the Netherlands has signed up for free meals or other food support for students. This concerns a total of 1302 schools in both primary and secondary education.

The project was set up by the Youth Education Fund and the Red Cross, because not all students go to class with a full stomach. Through the project, pupils receive a meal at school or a shopping card with which parents or carers can buy breakfast for their child.

The Ministry of Education has made 100 million euros available this year for food support for about 300,000 students.

A school is eligible for the free meals if at least 30 percent of the students come from low-income families. Most participating schools are located in South Holland and North Holland. Those provinces have 387 and 238 registrations respectively.

Two thirds of the schools that applied opt for free meals at school. For this they receive 9 euros per student per week. Schools are free to choose how they fill this in. For example, volunteers can make breakfast or lunch, or hire a catering company.

Another option is a shopping card, which gives a child 11 euros per week to buy groceries. In schools where this card is used, the school approaches the parents or guardians of the pupils, with the help of the Red Cross. The first cards have already been dealt. About 3000 students have already received a shopping card.

“We are happy with the program, sufficient food is a basic condition for learning,” says Hans Spekman, director of the Youth Education Fund.” But our ambition goes further. That all children have a bed or can take music lessons. I would like to spend a lot of time, money and energy in working on equal opportunities for all children and that is not done on an empty stomach.”