Student Pancake Thursday Returns to Katikati

Pastor Patrick Rounds is firing up the hotplate again, with Student Pancake Thursday set to return to St Peter's Anglican Church on Park Rd from 13 February. Around 18 volunteers are preparing to feed hungry students each Thursday morning between 7.30am and 8.20am during school term. The initiative began last year when Rounds noticed college students milling around town on Thursday mornings due to a later school bell, and decided to give them somewhere welcoming to be.

The breakfast spread includes a pancake topped with cream, maple syrup and fruit, plus a cup of Milo. The programme proved so popular in its first year that wardens were stationed outside to help primary school children cross Park Rd safely — by terms three and four, nearly 400 students were turning up regularly. Rounds says some parents have described it as the highlight of the week for their tamariki, and that students who often skip school make a point of showing up on Thursdays.

The project costs around $200 a week to run and is supported by Katikati Combined Churches, Four Square Katikati, BeeNZ, Rotary Club of Katikati, Reach Out Trust and Katikati Food Collective. Anyone keen to volunteer or donate can contact Patrick on 027 978 6926.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).