School lunches company The Lunch Bag which has its headquarters in Athlone has set themselves an admirable goal to feed Ukrainian children who have recently joined Irish schools. Pictured are its Managing Director, Athlone woman Ger Killian, and CEO Ray Nangle.

Athlone based company helping to feed Ukrainian students

Kayley Hardiman

Published: Tue 5 Apr 2022, 11:05 AM

Last updated: Tue 5 Apr 2022, 12:47 PM

The Lunch Bag, a school lunch service with a Headquarters based in Athlone have set themselves the task of feeding Ukrainian students who have recently joined Irish schools.

Currently, DEIS schools provide all students with free school meals, however The Lunch Bag is the only school lunch company for non DEIS schools, where parents can order school lunches via an app and have them delivered directly to participating schools.

CEO of The Lunch Bag, Ray Nangle, said "some of these children will be placed in Deis schools where they are fortunate enough to get their lunch provided through a Government subsidy scheme."

"For many more, this is not the case. This is where we come in. The Lunch Bag allows parents to order a wide variety of fresh lunches through the app and have it delivered to school; we want to extend this opportunity to Ukrainian parents and children without any concerns about cost."

For a 3-piece lunch costing just €10 for a week, the company aims to donate €2 for every €2 raised, ensuring funds raised are split evenly across all new student arrivals to the schools.

"We are overwhelmed with generosity already stated Mr Nangle, who thanked Accountancy firm Baker Tilly for kicking things off with a massive €3,500 donation. "We already have some Ukrainian students beginning to receive our lunches and it's one less thing for the parents to worry about. With 3 kids myself, I feel it's only right that we all come together as a community to help these little ones feel welcome, safe and well fed."

Almost 17,000 refugees have now fled war-torn Ukraine for Ireland, with 40,000 expected before the end of this month. Currently, 37% of those arriving are children, who will access the Irish Education system and be in need of school lunches and supplies.

If you would like to help provide school lunches to these children, donate via The Lunch Bag's Go Fund Me Page 'Ukrainian School Lunches', via their social media pages, or by calling 0433362038.