A free breakfast and friendly conversation can change the course of a person’s life.

Sandra North, Secretary of the Port Adelaide charity Community Help And Togetherness (CHATS), has experienced this first-hand and witnessed how a simple weekly meal can become a lifeline for vulnerable members of the community.

Recently, she recalls, a CHATS breakfast helped a rough sleeper obtain secure housing. “The man had been living on the streets for around four years when he was finally offered housing,” Sandra says. “But there was just one problem: he had two days to pay the bond and two weeks’ rent in full.”

That’s when the volunteer-run CHATS team stepped in to help. “If we hadn’t paid the money, he would have lost this opportunity to get off the street.”

The act of kindness was about more than money. It was an intervention built on trust formed over many Friday mornings around a shared meal. Today, the man still visits for breakfast, returning not because he needs help, but because he belongs.

Sandra says the man’s story demonstrates the impact CHATS is having in the local community.

The power of cooked breakfast

CHATS was founded by Port Adelaide local Rose Darling in 2019 after she retired, as a way of giving back to her community. Since then, around 30 volunteers have gathered every Friday morning to prepare and serve breakfast to people doing it tough at the Port Adelaide Masonic Centre.

Today, the weekly gathering welcomes around 100 people who are homeless, financially insecure, living with mental health challenges or experiencing social isolation. “Our service changes people’s lives,” Sandra says. “Sometimes just coming to breakfast and having somebody know your name and give you a smile can make the difference.”

Breakfast is served buffet-style to encourage guests to move around and talk. A free raffle at the end of the morning, often donated meat trays, encourages people to stay longer and connect.

“Food is so important in our model,” Sandra says. “You need nutrition, and when you have a full belly, you're definitely much happier. But it’s more than that. Food brings people together around a table.”

Funding support changes lives

CHATS operates entirely through volunteers. Alongside the weekly breakfast, the team runs an invite-only shop stocked with free donated clothing and household essentials, helping people access basic items with dignity. Volunteers also fundraise throughout the year to keep the charity running.

In November 2025, CHATS welcomed a much-appreciated financial boost when it received a $20,000 one-year grant from the Terry and Alison Lillis Charitable Trust – a SA-based philanthropic trust managed by Equity Trustees.

The funding is currently providing the charity with a vital boost, at a time when donations are tightening and increasing costs-of-living are pushing more people to seek help.

The grant increases CHATS’ ability to respond quickly to help individuals facing housing instability in a timely manner, providing short-term support in the critical moments before situations escalate into homelessness.

It also supports social connection outings – such as bus trips to museums, movies and regional towns – and funds participation in OzHarvest cooking classes, where people learn to prepare healthy, low-waste, low-cost meals.

“If you can donate to a grass-roots charity like us that not only provides food but social connection and support, you can truly help to change someone’s life.” Sometimes, that change begins with breakfast.

“We are honoured to uphold the legacy of the Lillis family, through the Terry and Alison Lillis Charitable Trust, and feel humbly proud to help CHATS as it strengthens and expands its vital grassroots services for those most in need. This is an enduring priority at the heart of our core priorities.” Natalie Chan-Lei (Trustee Representative)

“Sometimes just coming to breakfast and having somebody know your name and give you a smile can make the difference”

Photo Credit: Photo by Community Help And Togetherness