The team from Boys to the Bush, Eat Up Australia, and RRGC following the high-speed sandwich production blitz for local schools.
Photo by
Daniel Harvey
It takes a village to feed a classroom ― as long as the village makes 370 cheese sandwiches.
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And a new community alliance is doing exactly this ― to combat the growing issue of food insecurity gripping local homes.
Rich River Golf Club, youth mentoring Boys to the Bush, and national charity Eat Up Australia have joined forces to establish a monthly sandwich-making program to ensure no local child goes hungry at school.
On the morning of October 15, the upstairs commercial kitchen at RRGC was transformed into a high-speed production line ― with a mission to make sure no child goes hungry.
According to Eat Up Australia’s Victorian regional co-ordinator, Ari Roderick, the demand for school food relief has skyrocketed nationwide.
"We are currently supporting more than 1300 schools nationally, and around 70 per cent of them are reporting a huge increase in demand," Ms Roderick said.
"On top of this, we have another 600-plus schools on our waiting list. The need is immense."
The initative came to life after RRGC’s marketing and events manager, Deanne Armstrong, heard a worker speaking about the charity, and reached out.
“I think it's just a community thing,” she said.
“We want to enable the kids to be healthy and and attend school and make sure the kids are fed and can concentrate.”
The three leaders who came together to make sandwiches for kids - Deanne Armstrong, Ari Roderick, and Andrew Tomson.
Photo by
Daniel Harvey
Driven by Ms Armstrong’s local advocacy, Moama Bakery has committed to donating all the bread for the session, while local wholesale food operator Cadell is providing the cheese and margarine.
"Our Melbourne team handles the logistics side, school communication, and supply chains, but we simply cannot be on the ground everywhere," Ms Roderick explained.
"This is what makes this model so effective — local groups stepping up to care for their own community."
While Eat Up handles the back-end, the heavy lifting in the kitchen belongs to the local young men from Boys to the Bush.
The regional youth mentoring group brings together young participants and their mentors to make and deliver the lunches.
Andrew Thomson, area manager for Boys to the Bush across Bendigo, Wangaratta, and Echuca, explained the program gives boys — many of whom come from unstable backgrounds — a rare chance to be the ones giving back.
"Really, it’s about showing these boys who come to our programs there are other people in our community also doing it tough," Mr Thomson said.
"It gives them a sense of achievement when they complete a role as simple as making sandwiches for kids who don’t get food.
“It shows them there is a world outside the lives they live, and while they have day-to-day challenges, some people have bigger challenges than them."
Mr Thomson has seen first-hand just how much a strong community connection can change a young person's life.
He recalled locals such as Connor, a former foster child who found his anchor at Moama Bakery, and young Logan, a boy facing severe bullying who found his "safe space" within the Boys to the Bush family.
"Everyone craves connection," Mr Thomson said.
"Away from Boys to the Bush, these boys don’t feel this in a lot of aspects.
“When they get together with a group of men who are being good role models, they learn they can be part of a team to achieve things."
RRGC plans to facilitate exactly this, with goals to invite local business owners into future monthly sessions to introduce the youth to varied career pathways.
Organisers expect as public awareness grows, more regional schools will join the roster.
The sandwich-making sessions will run once a month, continuing through November, with organisers working to lock in a regular schedule well into 2026 and beyond.
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