Over 1,300 Dutch schools sign up for Red Cross free lunch program

Two months after the Red Cross launched its free school meals for vulnerable pupils program, 1,302 primary and secondary schools have signed up for it. That one in six schools have registered for the free meals or grocery shopping carts is “bittersweet” for Education Minister Dennis Wiersma. He thinks it is good that schools see their pupils need this help. But it is also “terrible” that it appears to be necessary.

“If things become more expensive, we must ensure that children at school do not suffer from this,” said Wiersma. His Ministry made 100 million euros available this year to fund the Red Cross and Youth Education Fund project. The Minister expects this amount to be sufficient, although that will only become clear over time.

Schools where at least 30 percent of the pupils come from low-income families can sign up for the school meals program. Students in special education are also eligible. The project can help a total of 300,000 pupils.

Participating schools can choose between “meals at school” and “meals at home.” With the first option, the school receives 9 euros per pupil per week to provide food at school. Through the “meals at home “option, parents receive a shopping card worth 11 euros per child per week, which they can spend at a supermarket.

The Netherlands has a total of about 8,000 schools in primary, secondary, and special education. With the 1,302 schools that have registered, it means that one in six schools in the Netherlands now provides meals because pupils regularly go to school with an empty stomach,” the Red Cross said.

The majority of participating schools come from Zuid-Holland (387) and Noord-Holland (238). These provinces also have the most schools that meet the conditions for the School Meals program, according to the Red Cross.

The aid organization called on schools to sign up. “We know that there are still a lot of children who go to school hungry and don’t eat breakfast. There is still room to help more schools.”

School meals are now being distributed at most of the schools that have registered, but it involves a lot of logistics, a Red Cross spokesperson said. All children at the registered schools are offered meals to prevent one child getting fed and another going unnoticed.

About a third of the schools opted for “meals at home” through shopping cards. About 3,000 pupils have received a shopping card. “What we hear back from schools and parents is that there’s a lot of shame involved. There’s a fear that classmates or other parents will notice the need and that people won’t admit they need such a card because they’re worried that their data is passed on to, for example, the municipality or youth services. But people remain anonymous.”