Heritage Bank helps Bundaberg community angels continue school lunch program
4 May 2021
Enjoying regular school lunches is a luxury some children in Bundaberg don’t have, but a donation from Heritage Bank is helping to change that.
Bundaberg-based charity Angels Community Group has received a $5000 boost from Heritage Bank to fund its Angels School Lunch Program. Working with different primary schools in the region, Angels’ team of volunteers prepares and delivers lunches to around 180 school children once a week to help students who do not have access to lunches. The donation from Heritage will help fund the school lunch program for the rest of the year.
After hearing about the huge gap in donations needed to run the School Lunch Program, Heritage’s Bundaberg team nominated Angels for a Heritage Bank sponsorship.
Heritage Bundaberg Branch Manager Gina Waga said, “Angels Community Group is a charity that focuses on supporting people experiencing food insecurity through a number of initiatives. Over the past two years, they have been the local beneficiary of food donations collected from Heritage’s involvement with the annual Loads of Love Appeal.
“Because they are non-funded they support their charity work through social enterprises Angels Mini Mart, Second 2 None (second hand clothes store), Angels Food Cart and the amazing support of the individuals and businesses.”
Ms Waga said, “Prior to the program, teachers were bringing in lunches to feed their students. It brought tears to my eyes to hear that.
“Once this program was up and running, teachers found students’ attendance increased and their grades improved as they had the capacity to be engaged in the classroom.
“We’re thrilled to hear Angels will be able to support these students for the rest of the year without working out how each week they will afford for this to occur.”
Heritage’s Bundaberg team have also taken their support a step further, volunteering to bake, make or deliver the lunches to the schools every month for the rest of the school year.
PHOTO (from left): Hardy Lamont, Heritage Bank Bundaberg; Sue Tasker, Angels Community Group; and Kat Syles; Gina Waga and Mandii Joyce, Heritage Bank Bundaberg.
