A local school has been able to keep its students cool and well-fed through the Specsavers Community Program.

Over the course of three years, Specsavers Brookside in Queensland raised more than $11,600 for Newmarket State School, which was in desperate need of a new tuckshop after doubling its student intake.

The funds, which were donated from the store’s glasses profits, helped the school complete a significant kitchen upgrade, which included the installation of a new oven, dubbed the ‘Specsavers Oven’.

“Thanks to Specsavers Brookside’s donation, completion of the new tuckshop facility has enabled us to prepare more fresh and healthy menu choices than was possible in our old facility,” says Newmarket State School Parents & Citizens (P&C) Assistant Treasurer Cathy Kent.

“The new tuckshop is more accessible to the students’ eating area than the previous one and has enabled the P&C to better serve our school community during school hours, and at social and fundraising events.”

Since the completion of the tuckshop, funds that are continually raised by Specsavers Brookside have also been used towards the recently provided air conditioning in two of the prep classrooms, which are prone to becoming very hot during the Queensland summer.

Cathy continues, “It is wonderful to see these projects complete. In nine years, we have grown from a school of about 125 students to about 240 students. This is a small school population to fund such big projects and Specsavers Brookside’s support has helped the dreams we had for our school become reality.”

Specsavers Brookside store partner Paul Turner says, “I wanted to fundraise for the Newmarket State School P&C Building Fund as I knew how badly the school needed a new, functioning tuckshop kitchen and how long they had been wanting to renovate. I wanted to make sure the school was able to properly provide children with healthy, wholesome meals. I’m glad our funds donated have been used to make a difference at the school.”

Specsavers Brookside also donates a portion of its profits to The Fred Hollows Foundation as part of the Community Program. This program operates across all stores, offering Specsavers staff the opportunity to connect with and give back to their local communities, beyond the eyecare they regularly provide.