Rural Taranaki schools receive funds from meat manufacturer
Five Taranaki schools have received donations as part of the Sponsor a School programme.
ANZCO Foods has donated more than $109,000 to rural primary schools this year.
Auroa School, Coastal Taranaki School, Matapu School, St Joseph’s Ōpunake School and Ngaere School were the five Taranaki schools that received the largest donations in the North Island.
Matapu School said they would use the $3271 donation to refresh the bark in their playgrounds. The donation meant the school could double its budget for the work.
Since the programme started in 2011, ANZCO Foods had donated more than $1.4 million to rural schools.
St Joseph’s Ōpunake School acting principal Brook Murfitt said they received $3084, which would be used to improve and expand the vegetable and fruit gardens.
“Our school has a Student Environmental Team and part of their role is to plant and take care of five fruit and vegetable gardens.
“We’re looking at using the funds to purchase more plants, improve the wooden garden frames, and potentially updating our garden tools, so we can continue to look after our gardens throughout the year,” Murfitt said.
ANZCO Foods head of livestock Shannon Parnham said the programme would make an impact on future generations and came at no cost to dairy farmers, who could positively contribute to their local communities.
“The ANZCO Foods ‘Sponsor a School’ programme is a fantastic way for the business and our farmers to contribute to the communities we work and live in, and to have an impact on the lives of young people in our regions,” she said.