Dio hosts the Sir Ray Avery Foundation

Sir Ray Avery Foundation Amigo Bar School Nutrition Programme Launch

Dio was delighted to recently host the Sir Ray Avery Foundation and invited guests at a Gala Event to officially launch the Amigo Bar School Nutrition Programme. The Amigo Bar is the brainchild of Sir Ray Avery, who describes himself as a natural inventor and engineer and has a goal to make a difference through his life-changing work.

From an orphanage in England to celebrated inventor, scientist and New Zealander of the year, Sir Ray Avery’s life is a quintessential rags-to-riches story. While his classmates were in school studying, Avery was living rough under a railway bridge in London, making bicycles and radios from parts found at the tip and selling them to people at his school. His childhood education was largely a do-ityourself business, with knowledge gained from reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica at the public library. The Amigo Bar is a result of his life experiences. Sir Ray says: “As a teenager living on the streets of London, food was always top of mind as I begged for the leftovers from the bakeries or anyone who would share.”

Numerous studies in New Zealand and overseas have demonstrated a link between nutrition and learning, and have shown the beneficial effects of restoring nutrition to the appropriate level.

The Amigo Bar is the result of years of research and development and is New Zealand’s first five-star rated affordable supplementary food bar for children aged four to 14 years old. It contains all the essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals to support healthy growth and brain development, and has received the tick of approval from kids for its name, design and taste.

At the Amigo Bar launch, from left to right: Toni Street (TV personality and Amigo Ambassador), Principal Heather McRae, Sir Ray Avery, Vanessa Sorenson (Microsoft NZ and Amigo Ambassador) and Lisa King (Founder, Eat My Lunch) Sami Edgar, McKenna Chan, Sophia Rodgers

Sir Ray Avery

The Sir Ray Avery Foundation aims to establish the Amigo Bar venture as a self-sustaining social enterprise with profits from sales of the $1 bar being used to provides free bars to schools and students in need. The project is kicking off thanks to the generosity of the Ted Manson Foundation, with free samples of the Amigo Bars, together with an Amigo Bar nutrition education pack, being distributed to schools through Eat My Lunch.

Diocesan believes in the importance of good nutrition for all New Zealand children and believes the Amigo Bar provides a great, healthy snack for students needing to fuel up for classes, before after-school activities and to support their busy lives. Bars will soon be available in the School Cafeteria for just $1 a bar.

Visit the Amigo Bar website at www.amigonutrition.org.nz.