Brekkie, Book Packs & the Bush, a rural partnership that works.

Brekkie, Book Packs & the Bush, a rural partnership that works.

It started with a casual conversation at a Queensland Philanthropy Week breakfast. A quick recommendation (shout-out to Anna from Woodfordia) led to a sit-down between Matt Shortus from Aussie Helpers and Alison Schutt, co-founder of Stationery Aid. What began as a chance encounter quickly developed into a practical solution for country kids doing it tough.

At Aussie Helpers, our “Brekkie in a Bag” program works to make sure students in rural and remote areas start the school day with a full stomach. But good food and increased focus is only half the battle when it comes to learning. Alison and the team at Stationery Aid collect, refurbish, and pack essential school supplies for kids who would otherwise, and often do, go without.

The shared values and alignment were obvious right away. Stationery Aid had the book packs ready to go, and Aussie Helpers had the established rural school networks and transport logistics to get them into hard-to-reach places.

The next step was a logical one, we joined forces.

Recently, the partnership delivered its first major milestone: Stationery Aid’s very first book packs for 2027 were picked up in Brisbane taken out to the Charleville depot, loaded into one of our trucks and delivered directly to a remote school in Northern New South Wales.

“Partnering with Matt and the team at Aussie Helpers to support families and schools living on the land is a natural fit for Stationery Aid. We are delighted to help ease the financial and accessibility burden for families, to assist getting kids ready for school and to help make learning joyful.  We also take great pride in making every stationery pack colourful, fun and thoughtfully prepared, so each child feels excited to begin the school year” – Alison Schutt, Co -founder & CEO, Stationery Aid.

When dry and unforgiving conditions, along with rising costs put heavy pressure on farming families, buying basic school supplies can become a genuine stress. By delivering daily brekkie supplies alongside complete stationery kits in one trip, we are taking a load off parents and making sure country kids walk into the classroom with the exact same tools as everyone else.

It shows what happens when local charities swap ideas over a morning coffee and get straight to work. We are proud to back Stationery Aid and look forward to rolling many more deliveries down the road together, and thanks for the kind words and great experience at the recent “wear fluoro like a highlighter” lunch!

 

 

Welcome Aussie Helpers

 

As one of Australia’s largest farming charities, we’ve provided support directly to farmers for more than two decades and created lasting connections with rural communities across Australia.

Aussie Helpers helps 1,000s of farmers every year… whether it be providing animal feed, financial assistance, food hampers, fuel cards, laptops, school fee support, student tutoring, access to mental health services, and little luxuries like Christmas hampers and gifts for kids.

 

For more information about Stationery Aid and Aussie Helpers please visit https://stationeryaid.org/ and https://aussiehelpers.org.au