Mary's Munchies

Mary’s Munchies is a one of a kind school cafeteria located at St Mary’s College in Auckland as an alternative to fast food/commercial tuck shop and offers a much more nutritious, holistic experience to the students and staff at St Mary’s College.

Mary’s Munchies caters for about 1000 students and the staff at St Mary’s College.  The goal is to offer healthy delicious wholesome, nutritious, seasonal food (NO MSG) from local suppliers, to educate students about good nutrition through the food on offer and about the importance of healthy nutrition. Because of its location on school grounds, once well established, we intend to propose developing a garden for the cafeteria.  In time, we would like to incorporate our program into the school curriculum.  Our goal is to use this is a model to introduce to other local schools and in time throughout both North and South Island.

Mary’s Munchies serves nutritious food that varies with seasonality.

Alison Dobson-Bonney has been a bespoke caterer for over 20 years. Her catering experience ranges from weddings and birthday parties to corporate functions and office events, as well as school board dinner and major school fundraisers. In the last five years, she also worked part time for ‘Bagel Love’ Bakery and ran the Bella Pacific Café in Herne Bay for 2 years. She is the driving force behind the menu for Mary’s Munchies.  She is also a mother of two teenagers. 

Lynne Fleury is completing a Post Graduate Certificate in Nutrition through Massey University.  Lynne is a passionate advocate of eating healthy and educating children about the values and importance of good nutrition beginning at an early age in order to help decrease the chronic diseases that are epidemic throughout the world.  Lynne has lived in the USA and Europe and witnessed this epidemic during her time living abroad.  Lynne has volunteered with the local Garden to Table Program in South Auckland.  

Both Alison and Lynne volunteer weekly at Eat My Lunch, which is a corporate lunch program which donates a lunch to children in need for every lunch purchased.