Blessed to be a blessing … at breakfast and beyond

For over 15 years, retired couple Janelle and Geoff have volunteered at SU Breakfast Clubs two mornings a week in two local primary schools.

What gets you up in the morning?

Geoff: The kids! It’s the smile on their faces—the rapport you build over time.

Janelle: It really is fun. It’s not a chore … We don’t go down there expecting anything, we’re there to serve, but we’re blessed in return.

Their involvement has grown beyond breakfast. Janelle shares, “Sometimes a chaplain will say, ‘I’ve got a child who can’t afford camp—what can you do?’ So it’s gone deeper than just Breakfast Club.”

How have you seen God at work?

Geoff: He always meets our needs. Someone will come up and say, ‘Can I donate some raisin toast or honey?’

Janelle: When a volunteer steps back, someone else steps up. God provides.

You regularly work alongside chaplains. Why is the work of chaplaincy so important?

Geoff: The needs are greater than ever. [Without chaplains], there wouldn’t be that place where kids feel safe to go and talk.

Janelle: “They’re a vital part of the school—a little light shining.”

Want to shine a little light in a local school? Visit su.org.au/volunteer