How Aussie Helpers go the extra mile for rural communities

Sanitarium and Aussie Helpers’ shared commitment to helping regional children and families access the nourishment and support they need.

In many parts of rural Australia, the day begins long before sunrise. For some children, getting to school can mean hours of travel before classes even start – and with long commutes and busy mornings, breakfast can quickly become an afterthought.

Breakfast is more than just a meal - it plays a critical role in learning, concentration, and overall wellbeing. Research shows that children who start the day with a healthy breakfast are more likely to experience motivation and achievement at school.* Ensuring access to quality food is essential for giving all Australian children the best start to their day.

This is where Aussie Helpers, one of Sanitarium’s community partners, makes a meaningful difference. Through practical, community-driven initiatives, the organisation helps ensure children in rural areas begin their day nourished, focused, and ready to learn.

A lifeline for rural communities

Founded in 2002 during a severe drought, Aussie Helpers was established to provide practical, on-the-ground support to farming families facing tough conditions.

What began with delivering emergency food hampers, livestock feed, and essential supplies has grown into a national not-for-profit organisation supporting rural communities across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Today, Aussie Helpers continues to provide vital assistance in times of both urgent need and long-term challenges such as droughts, floods, and fires, helping families through difficult periods on a national scale.

Making a difference, one breakfast at a time

One of Aussie Helpers’ fastest-growing initiatives is Brekkie in a Bag, a collaboration with Sanitarium designed to provide rural children with a reliable and nutritious start to the day.

The program supports students who may otherwise go without breakfast due to distance, time constraints, or family circumstances.

Since it started, the initiative has:

• Served more than 130,000 breakfasts
• Supported over 600 children

Each Brekkie Bag includes nutritious, Sanitarium favourites including Weet-Bix, UP&GO and So Good products – a simple yet effective way of ensuring children arrive at school ready to learn. But behind every breakfast is a student who can concentrate better, a teacher who notices the difference, and a family that feels supported.

The heroes making this possible

One of the volunteers helping bring Brekkie in a Bag to communities across rural Australia is Keith, who became involved with Aussie Helpers following the Quilpie floods in 2025. Wanting to make a practical difference for regional families doing it tough, he now dedicates countless hours alongside his day job to delivering breakfast supplies to schools and towns across the country. This includes a twice-yearly round trip from Charleville in rural QLD, through to Marra Creek in rural NSW, ending up in Mathoura in regional VIC – an incredible pilgrimage of over 6,000km each year.

From remote communities to regional schools, Keith regularly travels this distance to help ensure children have access to a nutritious start to the day - with one of his longest delivery runs lasting an incredible 18 days on the road, reaching everywhere from Dubbo to Port Macquarie. His commitment reflects the community spirit at the heart of Aussie Helpers and the many volunteers helping support rural families across Australia.

“Meeting the teachers, families and kids along the way and seeing firsthand the difference something as simple as breakfast can make is incredibly rewarding,” he says. “I’ll keep doing this for as long as I can, and I’d encourage anyone who’s able to get involved and support rural communities however they can.”

For Aussie Helpers CEO Matt Shortus, volunteers like Keith demonstrate the impact people can make when communities come together to support one another.

“The Keiths of the world are a dream to work with, with their levels of support only getting stronger as the initiative continues to grow,” Matt says. “I hear stories almost daily of families who feed us, struggling to feed their own, and I am so grateful for all the people who help us tackle this social issue.”

Aussies supporting Aussies

Aussie Helpers demonstrates the power of community. From volunteers on the ground to partners working behind the scenes, every contribution helps ensure children have access to the nutrition they need to learn and thrive.

Together, these efforts support better education outcomes, improved wellbeing, and stronger rural communities. If you’d like to support rural families, consider supporting Aussie Helpers and help ensure more children can start the day nourished, supported and ready to learn.