More than lessons on the menu at St Louis NS, Rathkenny

Pupils in St Louis NS, Rathkenny, were joined by Minister of State and local TD, Thomas Byrne for the launch of their Hot Meals Programme last week. St Louis NS is one of 43 schools in Meath to recently be added to the programme, which is funded by the Dept of Social Protection.

Under the programme, each child in the school receives a hot meal with children having plenty of options to choose from such as roast dinners, curry, bolognese, shepherd’s pie and lots more.

The hot meals in Rathkenny are supplied by The Lunch Bag, based in Tipperary. Principal Laura Conaty explained that parents order their children’s meals for the week on an app and the meals are delivered to the school, fresh every day along with cutlery and napkins.

She added that there is an extensive menu to choose from, ensuring there is something for everyone. Meals are nutritious and in line with Healthy Ireland guidelines.

St Louis NS launched the initiative on 16th April with Minister Thomas Byrne, local councillors and parents attending.

Ms Conaty said: "The Hot School Meals programme has been warmly welcomed and positively received in St Louis NS. The pupils benefit from a wide variety of delicious, nutritious food and look forward to their warm, substantial meal every afternoon.

"The children bring home their food containers each evening to show their parents what they have eaten. There has been very little food waste as the children really enjoy eating their meals and the social opportunity to eat a hot meal with their peers throughout the day."

The Hot School Meals Programme was introduced in 2019 as a small pilot of 30 schools and has grown since then with 2,000 primary schools across the country now eligible for funding. All remaining primary schools have also been invited to submit an expression of interest if they would like to join the programme.