Kickstart for Kids’ Big-Hearted Tradie

“Every kid needs to have breakfast no matter what socioeconomic area they are from. We offer breakfast to all the kids at the school, so those at risk don’t feel singled out and aren’t too scared to step forward. We fill their bellies and have a good chat. You immediately notice the kids become happier and friendlier, and the teachers tell us they can concentrate and have a much greater ability to learn.” Ian Steel, founder Kickstart for Kids.

Before becoming the founder of Kickstart for Kids, Ian was a big-hearted tradie, a dad who loved coaching footy and a mentor to kids doing it tough. As he worked with kids, he noticed many were anxious, angry, lonely and unsettled. They were nothing like his own kids and he wondered why.

Ian discovered one thing in common about these kids: they were hungry. And he knew he had to do something to help them feel better and get through school. So before work Ian would load up his ute with cereal and milk that he had bought himself, and feed breakfast to the kids who had come to school without.

That was the start of Kickstart for Kids, a charity that helps South Australian children through breakfast, lunch, reading and mentoring programs, school holiday camps, and nutrition education.

We’re excited to partner with Ian and Kickstart for Kids by providing thousands of serves of Weet-Bix, So Good milk and other Sanitarium products each year in support of more than 60,000 South Australian kids.