NELSON Bay locals Sue Ismay and Jo Clifton are the volunteers behind the drop-in morning teas at the Yacaaba Centre.
You’ll find them serving tea and iced cakes between 10am -11.30am on Thursdays.
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Signing up initially on the recommendation of a friend of a friend to help with “gardening, cleaning, packing hampers, fund raising and front desk lunch relief”, Sue and Jo soon found their groove launching the “ladies morning tea”.
“The more acquainted we got with the workers and clients, the greater our passion to be involved grew,” they said.
The morning teas are an opportunity to “experience a delightful morning filled with conversation, laughter, a warm cuppa and delicious treats.”
Some of the services offered at the Yacaaba Centre include counselling for improved mental health, domestic violence intervention, crisis housing help and gifting tote bags and hampers filled with food, toys, hygiene products, school supplies, story books and pyjamas.
The centre also supplies helpful pamphlets and referral advice to community activities and other non-profit and government agencies.
Sue and Jo enjoy inspiring women in the community to leave their house to connect with others, while experiencing the joy of being served with care and compassion.
The normalcy created by pausing for morning tea is a simple ritual that creates grace and healing energy, while being among women with shared values and experiences creates an opportunity to build authentic, trusting and supportive, long-term relationships.
Sue and Jo love the camaraderie exchanged on those Thursday mornings.
Although they admit volunteering is “harder than you think”, they get satisfaction out of seeing women finding the courage to show up.
They now look forward to the possibility of a monthly speaker on topics such as mindfulness and mental health.
By Jacie WHITFIELD
