“In Aegina, school meals now reach all primary schools with quality, care and safety” as part of the steady expansion of the program across Greece, announced Domna Michailidou.
During her visits to the 2nd primary school of Aegina, and the primary schools of Vathios and Perdika, and accompanied by the governor of OPEKA, Epaminondas Atsave, the minister Social Cohesion and Family spoke with teachers, students and members of the school community, was informed about the progress of the implementation of the programme and attended the process of distributing the meals.
The visit to Aegina’s schools is linked to the inclusion, for the first time, of all eight primary schools on the island in the School Meals Programme. With the expansion of the programme, in Aegina 630 meals are available daily, supporting the school community and families of the island on a daily basis.
Special emphasis was placed on the quality of the meals and the adherence to all the procedures, especially in a period when high temperatures require even greater consistency in their preparation, transport and distribution. The picture from the schools confirms that the programme is not only expanding in numbers, but is being implemented with care, organisation and respect for the children and their families.
“School meals are not just a plate of food. They are daily care and support for the family,” said Ms. Michailidou.
“In Aegina, where this year all the island’s primary schools joined for the first time, we see in practice what it means for the program to reach everywhere:from Orestiada and Soufli to Grevena, Istiia-Aidipsos and our islands. We want every child to receive a hot, quality and safe meal at school, wherever they live,” he said.
The School Lunch Program is a consistent policy of support for students, families and the school community. With this year’s expansion, 68 new school sites and 4,680 additional daily rations were added. Nationwide, the program is now implemented in 159 municipalities, covering 1,986 elementary schools, with 236,000 meals available daily.
