times change, but kids stay fed

Few things remain constant in our ever-changing world, and yet Ruth Ross, the tuckshop convenor at Forest Lake State School, has worked there for nearly 25 years.
Mrs Ross initially volunteered at the tuckshop to spend more time with her children, and to be more involved in their school’s community. A year later, she was made permanent. 
With her children now in their 30s, Mrs Ross is finally considering retiring. But when her husband asks what she would do with all her spare time, the answer is simple: “Go volunteer in the tuckshop.”
Many core elements of tuckshop operations have changed since Mrs Ross began working in the role, but putting smiles on the students’ faces and working with volunteers make the job worthwhile, Mrs Ross said.
“When I first came up here, we were allowed to make cakes and things like that; we’re not allowed to make those anymore.
“We have to meet what’s called the traffic light system, put in place by Queensland Education and Queensland Health. So foods are divided into green, which are everyday foods, amber, which are sometimes foods, and red, which are occasional foods.”
Tuck shop staff are only allowed to serve foods that fall into the ‘red’ category once or twice a term, so they usually save them for special occasions like school discos.
“In order to increase our green items, we add zucchini and carrots to our spaghetti bolognese, so we hide veggies in things.
“It is more cost-effective to make all our own food rather than buying pre-made meals, and then we also know what’s going into the meal.
“The butter chicken and spaghetti bolognese are some of our best sellers.”
The school’s P&C say they’re happy for Mrs Ross to run her own business.
“We make a lot of our own products like spaghetti bolognese, butter chicken, fried rice, muffins, and pizza on a daily basis,” Mrs Ross said. “It’s a bit easier because the children order online, but in order to make the lunches.”
Fewer volunteers are working in the tuckshop than in 2000 when Mrs Ross began.