What does a school canteen manager do when there are no students to feed?
One resourceful manager at a Kambah primary school has turned her attention to making affordable meals for families in lockdown.
Principal of St Thomas the Apostle Catholic School Ursula Jamieson said canteen manager Victoria Town swung into action soon after the ACT lockdown was announced.
It wasn't long before the principal received emails from families wanting to donate money so that other families who were doing it tough could have meals delivered to their doorstep.
Other parents bought meals for the teachers who were working on site to thank them for their hard work.
Last week's menu of lasagne, chicken and pumpkin pies, Mediterranean chicken casserole and sausage casserole were very popular with time-poor and stressed out families.
"It just was a really big hit with people and very affordable prices so it was one less thing that people have to do," Mrs Jamieson said.
"It's just another example of the amazing community we have here at St Thomas the Apostle.
"They're such a cohesive, caring group and it's times like these when you see people reach out straightaway and say, 'How can I help? How can I be part of this to look after people in the community who might be doing it a bit tough'?"
Mrs Jamieson got an email from one single mother who said knowing there would be a meal on the table a the end of a long day of home schooling and working from home was a great bonus.
"Every minute of the day has been used to care for the children, to do their remote learning and to do her own job so she was really appreciative," she said.
Ms Town, who is a chef by trade, was going above her usual work hours, driven by her passion for cooking and taking care of people.
Some people volunteered to deliver meals to people stuck in home quarantine, while others have bought vouchers to buy more ingredients.
Mrs Jamieson said remote learning had been going well so far, with parents and students encouraged to not put too much pressure on themselves and to take regular breaks to relax and get some exercise.
She said there were other hands-on ways to learn besides studying maths and English on a screen, such as cooking from a recipe.
"Keep paddling, keep connected and always be positive that we're going to get through this and we're going to be back together as soon as possible," she said.
