It was a tough start to the year for the Harcourt community and we wanted to find a simple way to show up and support local families.
Through our Fresh Fruit Friday program, we increased our weekly delivery to Harcourt Valley Primary School from 10kg to 50kg of fresh fruit across February – a small gesture for students and their families, but one we hoped would make things just that little bit easier during a challenging time.
“We know this won’t rebuild homes or fix the heartbreak, but sometimes small acts of care can make a difference,” Michael said.
Fresh Fruit Friday is a privately funded initiative, delivering crates of fresh apples, bananas and seasonal fruit to over 35 schools and kindergartens around Bendigo each week.
It’s made possible thanks to the support of our local partners who help us deliver it each week – including BlueScope Steel, JL King & Co, Furphy Galvanizing, Impact-A, Bendigo Community Health Services, Dobeli Electrical Services, Adroit Insurance & Risk, McKean McGregor, Agnico Eagle, McCaig Air Conditioning, Kieser, Bendigo Telco and DLO Plumbing.
At its core, Fresh Fruit Friday is about making sure kids have access to fresh, healthy food and helping build good habits around wellbeing along the way.
What started as a simple idea has grown into something we’re really proud of, now supporting schools, kinders and community organisations right across the Bendigo region.
“Many students don’t have access to fresh fruit at home, so this program means they can have fresh fruit at school and learn about the importance of healthy eating and movement,” Michael said.
For the team at Harcourt Valley Primary School, that extra support didn’t go unnoticed. Louise said “Thanks to our fabulous friends at the McKern Foundation for supplying our kids with the freshest fruit on Fridays! We appreciate your support to our community during the devastating time. The extra fruit supply was distributed accordingly, so kind thank you again.”
Moments like this are a good reminder of why we do what we do.
“We’re a Bendigo based foundation. These are our neighbours, our friends. It means a lot to be able to help even in this simple way,” Michael said.
If you would like to be part of the McKern Foundation and help grow the Fresh Fruit Friday program then we’d love to hear from you. Visit mckern.net.au/how-to-get-involved