Box Hill Institute raised $17,500 to help students struggling to make ends meet with the help of their alumni and celebrity chefs Guy Grossi and Frank Camorra, alongside fellow Melbourne chefs Morgan Hipworth and Ian Curley.
While classes have just started for the year, 75 per cent of student welfare requests are related to financial hardship, up from 25 per cent in 2023.
The funds raised will translate to supporting hundreds of students with the essentials to ensure they can continue their education.
Box Hill Institute’s student wellbeing coordinator Johanna Dutton said as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, some students are choosing between eating and paying for other necessities, like public transport.
“If a student comes to us with welfare concerns, we typically ask “Have you eaten today?” and quite often the answer is ‘no’,” she said.
The money was raised through a fundraising dinner, with the celebrity chefs working with Box Hill Institute students to cater for the crowd.
In addition, items were auctioned and the chefs also donated dining experiences to each of their restaurants, such as a four-course dinner matched with drinks for six people at Grossi Florentino.
“The importance of education in our industry is massive. We really need to encourage younger people back into our industry and give them a pathway into hospitality they can feel proud of,” Guy Grossi said.
There are many reasons why students experience financial difficulty, but some common scenarios are young people forced to leave home before they are ready or women escaping family violence and returning to study to get back on their feet.
“Students experiencing financial distress are in survival mode, which makes it difficult for them to concentrate on their studies. Through investing in their well-being, we tell them they are worth it, and we believe they will make a valuable contribution when they graduate,” Ms Dutton said.
Box Hill Institute’s CEO Grant Radford was heartened to see the level of support for students in need.
“We believe that education should be accessible to anyone who wants to pursue it. This is a wonderful outcome, and it will allow us to support many students who might otherwise struggle to stay in education,” Mr Radford said.
