Provision of school meals in Trikala and Kavala

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1 Provision of school meals in Trikala and Kavala Access to proper nutrition is a basic human right, in particular for children. It provides energy and nutrients so that the child grows up in good physical and mental health, able to flourish and perform in school activities. Backed by the participation of the public, the program helps alleviate the malnutrition of children and provides desperately needed support for their families. In addition, the integrated nutritional planning of the meals by experts of the Agricultural University of Athens ensures that the food is comprised of healthy Mediterranean ingredients, while placing emphasis on fostering an appreciation for the value of a collective family meal. The schoolchildren experience the genuine interest, love and solidarity of the broader Greek society as well as people from around the world who support the program. In recent years, in Greece, children have been exposed to the consequences of the economic crisis, both psychologically and materially, while the level of child poverty has risen to 27.8%. Many children are undernourished while, at the same time, childhood obesity is increasing because of lack of a healthy diet. Yet, junior schools can serve as a place of family comfort, offering a collective environment and a shared meal that will provide nutritional and dietary security. By leveraging the act4greece program, this action -- supported by the Ministry of Labor, Social Insurance & Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs -- aims at gathering funds from private individuals, businesses and organizations in Greece and abroad, so as to meet the need to provide hot meals at primary schools. It is our aspiration that key partners in the implementation of the action will be agents of social entrepreneurship active in the field of food preparation and distribution. Law 4019/2011 (A 2016) established on the national level the concepts of Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship as an intermediate sector between the State, society and the private sector, in which the business activities of social entrepreneurship agents aim at achieving social objectives and purposes. This institutional framework aims at: (a) creating new job positions in the social sector of the economy, (b) addressing poverty, discrimination and social exclusion, (c) strengthening social cohesion by the integration of vulnerable groups in the wider society, (d) enhancing social solidarity and innovation, (e) supporting local entrepreneurship, and (f) deploying institutional safeguards to protect social and solidarity entrepreneurship from being exposed to potential speculative manipulation. A vehicle for the promotion of social entrepreneurship is, inter alia, the legal status of Social Cooperative Enterprises (SCEs) as a civil cooperative for social ends. Under a legal framework, transparency and publicity procedures are observed with regard to the activities of SCEs, on the basis of which SCEs are obliged to post on the web their actions and relevant reports. This form of business has proved extremely effective in many EU states for the integration of vulnerable social groups in the labor market. Reliability, transparency and effectiveness of social protection and solidarity actions are achieved by means of project agreements (Article 17 of L. 3329/2005, A 81) between the competent Ministries and private bodies that share the same public benefit interests. 1

2 At this first stage, we aspire to cover the needs of areas which have been most severely hit by the crisis and which suffer from high rates of unemployment. The provision of meals to schools in West Attica for the academic year was successfully completed and continues for the school year Trikala and Kavala were selected among the thirty Municipalities where the Social Solidarity Income Program of the Ministry of Labor, Social Insurance & Social Solidarity is being implemented on a pilot basis, as an additional support action. The School Meals Program aims, on the one hand, to address, as far as possible, the nutritional needs of children coming from deprived families and, on the other, to support the educational process and avert the phenomenon of school dropouts. The children s eyes reflect this harsh reality, where families and the wider community are having to cope with destitution. As a society, we have to do our best to provide them with real support and, through the school environment, offer them a springboard to a better life. We want to show them in practice that we stand by their side and that we care about their present and future. The action includes the provision of hot school meals, with a total budget amounting to 586,000 corresponding to 234,265 meals. It covers the food needs of 2,385 schoolchildren from 27 schools in the Trikkaion and Kavala Municipalities from to TRIKKAION MUNICIPALITY: Schools to participate in the action S/N NAME OF SCHOOL NUMBER OF SCHOOLCHILDREN 1 9 th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF TRIKALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF TRIKALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF TRIKALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF TRIKALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF TRIKALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF TRIKALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF TRIKALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF TRIKALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF TRIKALA PRIMARY SCHOOL PALAIOPYRGOU PRIMARY SCHOOL RAXAS PRIMARY SCHOOL RIZOMATOS PRIMARY SCHOOL MEGARCHI PRIMARY SCHOOL MEG. KEFALOVRYSOU PRIMARY SCHOOL DIALEKTOU PRIMARY SCHOOL KEFALOVRYSOU PRIMARY SCHOOL PATOULIAS PRIMARY SCHOOL GLINOUS 9 TOTAL 1,202 2

3 KAVALA MUNICIPALITY: Schools to participate in the action S/N NAME OF SCHOOL NUMBER OF SCHOOLCHILDREN 1 2 nd PRIMARY SCHOOL OF KAVALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF KAVALA th PRIMARY SCHOOL OF KAVALA st PRIMARY SCHOOL KRINIDON nd PRIMARY SCHOOL KRINIDON PRIMARY SCHOOL AMYGDALEONA PRIMARY SCHOOL ZYGOU PRIMARY SCHOOL FILIPPON st WHOLEDAY SPECIAL PRIMARY SCHOOL OF KAVALA 48 TOTAL 1,183 If, with your help, we manage to achieve our goal, it will not only fight malnutrition among children but also support families affected by the economic crisis, as well as working or unemployed parents. In addition, we shall lay the foundations for a new appreciation of healthy, Mediterranean food and regenerate the culture of the meal as a collective social occasion. The daily provision of a healthy meal at school provides significant medium- and long-term social and financial benefits, such as reducing discrimination and social exclusion, and enhancing the learning and classroom performance of schoolchildren. Although a healthy and nutritious diet cannot be absolutely guaranteed with just one meal a day, five days a week, when the children receive their hot meals at school, nevertheless by careful planning as regards the meals ingredients (the type of food and the combinations given with each meal) and frequency of consumption over the week it will be possible to contribute significantly to providing essential nutrients. Ingredients are supplied based on high quality standards from selected suppliers, who comply with the rules and restrictions set by the relevant international and Greek certification organizations. The meals are planned on the basis of a 14-day dietary cycle and have been selected so as to meet a range of criteria and characteristics: Adequate in the provision of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Adequate in other nutritious ingredients (vitamins, trace elements, minerals, fiber). Variety of foods so as to ensure variety of nutritional elements. Frequency of consumption of foods in accordance with the recommended Mediterranean food pyramid and other international dietary standards. Focus on providing good quality fats that improve health, according to the recommendations of the Mediterranean diet pyramid and other international health recommendations for school-age children. Choice of foods (particularly fruit, vegetables and cooked meals) that takes into consideration their availability and seasonality in the Greek market and local production cycle. 3

4 Other dietary features: Focus on increasing the intake of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and reducing the intake of unhealthy saturated fats. The combinations of food for each meal have been designed to provide the maximum feeling of satiety after eating (combination of proteins-carbohydrates and increased fiber intake). The addition of a seasonal salad to every meal, and fruit to finish, rounds off the necessary intake of vitamins, fiber and antioxidants associated with growth, health, and mental alertness of children and their school performance. The weekly inclusion of fish in the diet (preferably fish fillet to avoid the risk of choking on bones) ensures the intake of essential fatty acids (EPA & DHA) related to optimal cardiovascular health and cognitive development. Moreover, fish and poultry are excellent sources of lean animal protein of high biological value. The provision of red meat (pork, beef) ensures iron intake, which is essential for the proper growth of children and for preventing iron deficiency anemia, whose prevalence has become quite frequent. Note, however, that according to intake frequency recommendations of the Mediterranean diet, the intake of red meat should be kept at moderate levels. The inclusion of legumes and foods stewed in olive oil, as recommended by the Mediterranean diet pyramid, serves to increase the intake of vegetables, which provide a wealth of beneficial nutrients. 4

5 Nutrition plan for hot school lunches Lunch for 1st week Lunch for 2nd week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Chicken rice or Fish fillet (perch or sole) rice or potatoes Pasta with 3-4 with portion of minced meat Beef burger rice or Fish fillet (perch or sole) rice or potatoes Pulses (lentils, beans, chick peas) rice or bulgur wheat feta cheese salad (grated cabbage or tomato) fruit Beef rice or spaghetti or potatoes or orzo pasta Chicken rice or Peas in red sauce rice feta cheese or omelet or boiled egg salad fruit Spinach and rice feta cheese or omelet or boiled egg salad (grated cabbage or tomato) fruit NOTE: We thank Militos Editions for kind permission to reproduce on this website images from their publication Learning the Alphabet. 5