The humble chocolate drive has long been a fundraising favourite in Aussie schools and sporting clubs, but some parents are worried it’s sending the wrong message to children.
Mother-of-two Emma King is one such parent and told the team at The Project she felt exasperated when her young daughter arrived home from netball with dozens of chocolate bars to sell.
“I think for me the issue was my daughter walked up to me with a box of 50 chocolates, it wasn’t like there was a discussion amongst parents [as to] ‘was it okay?’,” she told the panel on Wednesday.
“I mean, in this instance, we’re dealing with a sporting club, so I want my kids to be active, I want them to be healthy and I want to keep them moving.”
Chocolate Bar Fundraisers: Are they a problem? #TheProjectTV d…
Chocolate Bar Fundraisers: Are they an unhealthy way to raise money, or should we all have a bikkie and calm down?
Posted by The Project on Wednesday, 26 April 2017
Chocolate drives are appealing because they’re almost guaranteed to turn a few thousand in clear profit, but when one in four Australian children are overweight or obese, they’re also becoming increasingly divisive.
“It seemed an absolute contradiction in terms that there was a sporting club that was handing every kid a box of 50 chocolates to either eat themselves or go and market to their friends, and it’s the opposite message of what I want to send to my kids, particularly because it was coming from a sporting club,” King said, adding her daughter felt pressure not to let her teammates down.
Top Comments
Kids sporting clubs are usually run by a committee of parents. If people aren't happy or have better ideas for fundraising, maybe they could volunteer their time and ideas and join.
God, parents are so precious these days. When I was a kid, we fundraised with lamington drives and cake and sweet stalls. These chocolate drives are no different.