Getting fat on school fundraisers

By STUART DYE

Cheese rolls, trees, McDonald's burgers, clothes created by kids, cows, pizzas, plots of land, Bibles with "not for sale" inscribed inside and, of course, Caramello bars.

All this and much more is for sale - at your local school.

As more schools battle for a buck, the list of what they will sell is seemingly endless. While chocolate in various forms has always been the fundraiser's product of choice, some schools are coming up with more unusual ways of raising cash.

But the trend is not to everyone's liking. Health officials say junk food should be left off the list.

Phil Smith, president of the Post-Primary Teachers' Association, said schools had always raised funds in one form or another, but traditionally it was for extracurricular activities such as sporting events.

"There's now forestry blocks and land drives as well as the usual pies and chocolate. There are some innovative parents, pupils and schools out there," said Mr Smith.

The Christchurch Press reported this week that a syndicate of schools buys cattle, and is provided free grazing from a local farmer before selling the cows on for a healthy profit.

Schools the Weekend Herald spoke to have sold McDonald's burgers and pizzas to swell the coffers.

At one North Shore high school a book sale had Gideons Bibles available for a few dollars - despite being marked "not for sale" inside the cover.

Another school on Waiheke Island had its children design and make clothes which were sold at a "junk and funk" fair.

While chocolate bars are often a standard $2, books can be bought for as little as 50c. Burgers and pizzas generally range between $1 and $3. Anyone interested in a cow, however, might have to pay up to $1000.

Brent Lewis, Auckland Secondary Principals' Association president and principal at Avondale College, said there were also any number of activity fundraisers such as movie evenings and golf days.

At Avondale it was about ensuring all children had access to school trips and "luxury" extras, said Mr Lewis. The fundraising also helped to build teamwork and a sense of achievement.

But by far and away the most common item for sale is chocolate. Whether it's Dairy Milk, Toblerone, Caramello, Rocky Road or Moro bars, the chances are you can buy it at a school near you.

And that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of Fight the Obesity Epidemic co-founder Dr Robyn Toomath.

She argues that schools need to adopt a national healthy eating policy which ditches chocolate in favour of fruit or vegetable snacks.

"Chocolate is great as an occasional treat, but it is everywhere and eaten every day and normalised by its sale in schools. We are driving the obesity epidemic," she said.

However, there could be good news for Dr Toomath but bad news for sweet-tooths around the country.

Chris France, head of the School Trustees' Association, said schools wanting to raise serious funds were increasing the numbers of foreign fee-paying students.

The days of schools selling chocolate and other small edible items could be numbered. There was a huge amount of time and effort in selling, but for a very small return, said Mr France.