The more than one hundred students of practical college De Schakel in Haarlem have all received a bag of healthy food to take home. Some of the students have money problems at home and the school gives them something extra for the summer holidays. Also in the hope that the teenagers will eat and drink a little healthier.
In the middle of the auditorium are several dozen bags on the tables, filled with healthy food. The students are very curious, want to know what’s in it and ask if they can take one with them. That is allowed, because the bags are intended for all classes.
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“The summer packages have been put together by colleagues and are intended for our students. To give them some extra support, so that they have a better time at home. This way they can also eat healthier and cook for themselves. There are also a few recipes “, explains director Wouter Vreeke.
Pasta and washing up liquid
The ingredients of the summer package are also on the table. “They will soon be able to make hot meals, such as wraps and pasta. But it also contains, for example, pancake mix and a drink. And washing-up liquid to clean everything again. That is often a somewhat more expensive product. They can use the bag later as a sports bag,” says Vreeke.
The school can do all this by using a subsidy from the Youth Education Fund, supplemented with money from its own pocket.
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The school tries to support students who are less fortunate at home in several ways. “On school days, for example, we offer hot meals during lunch and that goes very well. That not only gives a full stomach, but also a very nice atmosphere within the school. They eat together at the table.”
Enthusiastic students
Daniel is in first class and also takes a bag home. “I don’t really care about the color of the bag, it’s the same everywhere,” he says. He says that he does not fall into the category of ‘pupils who are having a hard time at home’. “But I am happy with it. They are all products with a long shelf life. In general, I eat healthy, you know. Salads, for example, with a piece of meat on the side. I often help my father with the cooking.” The bottle of detergent is especially useful. “We always forget to bring them home.”
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Daniel would like to work on a drilling platform in the future. Bloem is in the third grade and wants to take care of animals when she grows up. She also carries a bag. “Then you can cook with the ingredients at home. It all looks healthy,” she says.
Bloem does know students who need the bag more than they do. “They all eat sweets and drink energy drinks, with twenty kilograms of sugar in them,” she laughs. “I think it’s very nice that they hand out these bags for that reason.”
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“There are parents who do not use the bag because they do not need it. They then offer it to students who can use it,” says the director. For a moment he was afraid that the students who bring a bag would be looked at askance by other students. “But that is not the case. That is why we give them to everyone, so that it is normal for everyone to bring a bag. Think of it as a Christmas package for the summer holidays.”