Forres Tesco and FarShare are donating food to Forres Academy for breakfast club and cooking sessions

A local school has partnered with a supermarket and charity to set up a breakfast club for pupils.

Forres Academy collects produce including bread, eggs, bakery items, fruit and vegetables from Tesco Forres that would otherwise go to waste, to provide healthy breakfasts to students requiring additional support.

Pupil support assistant, Kerry Speed, confirmed the secondary also provides nurture groups with the items for use in teaching pupils culinary skills such as creating healthy meals and new recipes.
She explained: “Many pupils don’t have the time or resources at home for the basics that many people take for granted.

“Our breakfast club and nurture groups provide vital fuel to ensure that pupils get through the day happy and energised to learn.

“During nurture group sessions, pupils learning new skills such as cooking and baking gives them a lot of confidence which will follow them into adulthood.

“The reaction from pupils and parents has been hugely positive and the sessions are becoming more and more popular.

“We’d like to thank Tesco and FareShare for all of their support.”

The breakfast scheme launched just over two years ago and is run before school, during breaks and at lunchtime.
The nurture sessions are run by school staff for all pupils at the academy aged between 12 and 18-years-old.

Any additional surplus items that aren’t used in the nurture groups or the breakfast club are given to pupils’ families in need of extra support.

The Community Food Connection scheme ensures that surplus food from Tesco does not go to waste, instead donating to charities and community groups who distribute it to the public.

Tesco head of communications for Scotland, Kelly O’Sullivan, said “We are pleased to do what we can to support. The scheme enables us to ensure our surplus food is put to good use in communities.”

FareShare is the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and food waste.

Head of FareShare Go, Katie Sadler, said: “This consistent food supply empowers charities to not only provide essential meals but also to sustain vital support services for local people."

Providing surplus food also aids the environment by ensuring that it does not end up as landfill.

For further information, visit https://fareshare.org.uk/getting-food/.