JANUARY is traditionally the time for good intentions and new year resolutions.
Coupled with the success in recent years of the TV/radio programme,
‘Operation Transformation’ and Food Dudes initiative, parents in Raheny have taken the matter to hand and launched a simple but effective little booklet aimed at primary school children.
The concept for Lunch Box Clever, compiled by local woman Barbara Fitzsimons, took seed at a regular monthly meeting of the Scoil Aine Parents’ Association.
What was initially going to be a one-page flyer, providing pointers for parents of Scoil Aine’s pupils to inspire and encourage healthy eating for our own children’s lunchboxes, grew.
With the dedication and support of her husband, Dermot of Raheny Carpets, and her willing testers, her two primary school children Kara and Aaron, Barbara’s Lunch Box Clever concept was born.
Barbara, who is a qualified chef with over 20 years’ experience in the food industry and a busy mum-of-two, understands only too well how difficult it can be to make healthy choices for our children. Coupled with her own experience and the support of a local printer, Mila Abad of Print Tender Ltd, Lunch Box Clever evolved.
The booklet is vibrant in colour and bursting with ideas for healthy sandwich options and savoury alternatives.
It is visually appealing to its young audience; it’s informative about portion size, provides clever ideas on storage of excess fresh food and contains interesting facts which keep the kids coming back for more.
It’s a dynamic little booklet which will certainly help to motivate and encourage our local kids to prepare a healthy lunch box option.
Barbara and Dermot, who have funded the project, have given a booklet to each child in the three local schools – Scoil Aine, Scoil Ide and Scoil Assaim – to bring home.
We thank them for their community spirit and wish them well.