School children in the Lockyer Valley who miss breakfast, and those who just love to catch up with mates over a piece of toast, have been given a $10,000 helping hand thanks to a Commonwealth Bank grant.
SU QLD regional manager, Melina Wildolf, said the grant money, which came from local Commonwealth Bank staff volunteering some of their salary to support their community, would be injected into 19 Lockyer Valley school breakfast programs.
“The money will either support existing breakfast clubs or seed funding for a breakfast program to start,” Melina said.
“I met the Commonwealth Bank branch manager to discuss school chaplaincy in the Lockyer Valley because he was keen to use the grant money for something that benefited children in need. I suggested breakfast clubs because he has seen the amazing benefits of chaplains running breakfast clubs, especially during the 2011 floods.”
Melina said being able to strengthen breakfast clubs would help more than just the students who, for any number of reasons, went to school hungry every day.
“In the Lockyer Valley we have a diverse range of families but a breakfast club is not just for feeding hungry kids – it also creates a fun, safe place for children and young people and their families to build relationships and get to know each other better,” she said.
Melina said grants were an important cash avenue for LCCs to be aware of.
“Being on the lookout for grants is definitely important but it’s more important to have our SU QLD Brisbane office staff apply for grants on behalf of an LCC or school because so much of the information needs to come from SU anyway,” she said.
“Only one person from an organisation can apply for a grant for it to be valid, so it’s more important for it to be handled by Grants Manager, Emma Pellatt – she knows exactly how to apply for grants to give them the best chance of being successful.
“But it really helps to find the grants and do some early research, then contact Emma and proceed from there.”
To contact Grants Manager Emma Pellatt, phone 3112 6486 or email emmap@suqld.org.au