Placing their first school canteen lunch order is a right of passage for five-year-olds across Australia.
But organisations are calling for help to keep the tradition alive.
"It's a forgotten space," says Federation of Canteens in Schools chair Leanne Elliston.
"From every corner of the country, we're hearing the same thing: canteens are stretched to breaking point."
Schools are grappling with increasing operational costs as they face a lack of volunteers, she says.
"In the days when there were lots of volunteers available you didn't have to pay for so much in staffing.
"But unfortunately you just don't see canteens like that very much anymore."
It's a challenge Jennifer Chambers has experienced firsthand running the canteen at her children's school in Newcastle.
"We really need parent volunteers," she tells AAP.
Australian Bureau of Statistics research reveals both parents worked full-time in almost three quarters of the nation's families in June 2024, a significant jump from the one-in-five who did in 2009.
Ms Chambers says many working parents are simply no longer able to find time to lend a hand in the school kitchen at Glendore Public School.
"The volunteers we do have are amazing and do a great job," she stresses.
"But it can be hard to get them."
The canteen has prevailed despite a lack of volunteers with support and protocols put in place by the school.
"I'm incredibly lucky to be where I am," Ms Chambers says.
Experts believe the canteen system needs reshaping to fit with changing societal norms.
Many that once relied on volunteers need to adapt to the time constraints of working parents, according to education policy researcher Glenn Savage.
"The historical stereotype of the volunteering mum … is wildly out of step with the reality of working mothers in Australia," he says.
"The working lives of parents and the demands on their time has changed significantly."
Unlike overseas counterparts, Australia has no national system for schools to provide free student meals.
This makes it difficult for schools to develop a consistent approach, Professor Savage says.
"Not only in terms of how the canteens are run but also what's provided as options to young people."
Kathy Nichele took over her daughter's school tuckshop 15 years ago and has since become a leader for canteen's across Australia with thousands of followers on social media.
She runs Kathy's Kitchen at Blairmount Public School in the southwestern outskirts of Sydney as her own external business.
While she had no professional culinary experience when she began, Ms Nichele says she takes after her grandmother.
"I've always been handy in the kitchen," she explains.
"I shop on a budget and can create anything with a wide variety of fresh vegetables."
Since taking on the role, she says she's been able to maintain stable prices, offering salads for as little as a dollar.
But keeping them down is a challenge and she researches widely before purchasing her groceries every day.
She also mostly works alone in the canteen, with only occasional help from her husband and students chopping vegetables.
For canteens relying on volunteers, Ms Nichele says it can be difficult to stay afloat.
"Everybody is really trying at the moment with the limitations they have," she says.
"We have an amazing network of school canteens out there that are really trying their hardest to do the right thing."
Growing challenges nationwide have meant many reducing days of operation and some closing all together, according to Ms Elliston.
That's created an increased burden on families preparing meals from home and prevents reliable access to affordable and nourishing meals for children at school.
The Federation of Canteens last month convened a national roundtable involving over 90 stakeholders including canteen operators, health and education professionals, local government, parent organisations, non-government groups and the food industry.
The gathering identified staffing and volunteer shortages leading to burnout as a major concern.
It also found rising food costs and limited funding are making it increasingly hard to provide affordable healthy options, while outdated infrastructure and inadequate equipment are hindering their preparation.
A set of national recommendations has been issued to support and sustain canteens, with government urged to establish fully funded positions and provide training for canteen staff to reduce reliance on volunteers.
The federation is also advocating for the national co-ordination of bulk-purchasing arrangements to improve affordability, access and quality for essential items.
The push comes as the Greens turn up the election heat on the major parties to provide free school meals across the country.
The ambitious plan would see more than $11 billion spent across four years, to serve no-cost lunches at every public school, while existing free breakfast programs would be expanded under an $85 million annual investment.
