Under new management: Rutherford-Telarah Rotary Club take on Rutherford Public School canteen

The club has formed a non-profit called Catering Maitland that employs staff to run the canteens at Maitland, Metford, Woodberry, Gillieston and Rutherford Public Schools.

Rutherford is a new addition, with Catering Maitland moving in over the school holidays, now serving up healthy, nutritious meals for term four.

Michael Weatherall, secretary of Rutherford Telarah Rotary Club and Catering Maitland said it's a pleasure for the team to make sure the students have access to food at school.

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"These generally are canteens that have failed for some reason and most of them have been closed," he said.

"We're going into places that really need the canteens, it's really an integral part of the school when it works properly."

A problem many canteens have had in the past is finding volunteers, and employing staff is Catering Maitland's way around that.

"We don't have volunteers, that's the reason the canteens have failed," Mr Weatherall said.

"We employ the people that run the canteen."

The menu is the same at all five of Catering Maitland's canteens, and nutrition, quality and affordability are the top priorities.

It features spaghetti bolognese, carbonara, lasagne, fried rice, butter chicken and rice, chicken tender wraps, chicken burgers, veggie burgers, gluten free cheeseburgers, salad wraps and much more.

The canteens use an online ordering website called Flexischools where parents can order the week or night before, reducing the amount of cash on the premises.

The canteens are run "very close to the line", in that they try not to make any profit.

If a profit is made, food prices would be lowered.

"The idea with the canteens is to maintain reasonable prices on the menu and try and reduce the prices on the menu," Mr Weatherall said.

"If we can reduce the prices in the canteen that'll make a really big difference, particularly these days where the cost of food has come through the roof."

Catering Maitland is in the process of applying for deductible gift recipient status, so it can look for sponsors and donors to help reduce canteen prices even further.

Mr Weatherall said starting at Rutherford Public School this term is going to be very important, because it's such a big school.

It's the biggest school in the Maitland area with more than 990 students.

The first canteen Rutherford Telarah Rotary Club took on was Maitland Public School about six years ago, and it has grown and grown since then.

"If we can reduce the prices in the canteen that'll make a really big difference, particularly these days where the cost of food has come through the roof."

Catering Maitland is in the process of applying for deductible gift recipient status, so they can look for sponsors and donors to help reduce canteen prices even further.

Mr Weatherall said starting at Rutherford Public School this term is going to be very important, because it's such a big school.

It's the biggest school in the Maitland area with more than 990 students.

The first canteen Rutherford Telarah Rotary Club took on was Maitland Public School about six years ago, and it has grown and grown since then.