The P&F runs St James Catering which is our main form of fundraising for our school. St James School has a strong history of catering for a variety of local events, including functions, weddings, parties or lunches. We are well known and well respected as a catering organisation.
It is an expectation that the entire school community supports and provides catering for local functions. The Catering Committee is responsible for coordinating the activities but relies on the support of all families in our school. This support can take many and varied forms, including the cooking and preparation of food, waiting on tables, bar work, setting up, packing up, cooking a barbecue, washing dishes and generally assisting at the functions.
A beautiful letter from a parent regarding being on the catering committee:
I am pleasantly surprised that the catering committee has been a wonderful way for our family to contribute to the St James fundraising efforts. Why surprised? Because I had been warned when joining the St James community that the catering committee was one that we may possibly want to avoid! I am so glad, however, that the stars aligned and I did, indeed, find myself as one of a group of parents on the committee.
This has been a wonderful experience – I have met other lovely mums and dads that I otherwise might not have met, I have successfully cooked food that I would never have attempted in a pink fit (vegan, sugar free, gluten free FODMAP tiramisu anyone? YUM!), I have helped to nut out logistical challenges (how on earth do we cook and serve 250 chicken breasts in 1 hour?!) and I have enjoyed the camaraderie that develops when a team of people achieve a wonderful outcome. It is also very satisfying and gratifying to hear and read the wonderful thank you messages that the committee receives!
However, the thing I have most appreciated is being able to contribute to St James fundraising on my own terms: being on the committee means you have control over how much time you can commit, whether or not you’d like to cook or order supplies or manage the bar or waitress or organise functions or create menus or search out recipes or just sit out altogether if you have a clash with shearing/lambing/harvest/family holidays. Fundraising can often be frustrating, disappointing or just plain hard work for low returns, but what is great about catering is that our services are requested - we’re not pushing raffle tickets or flower bulbs, rather we are supplying customers who genuinely want and value our services!
I can’t imagine a more satisfying way to contribute to St James fundraising! Please do consider joining next year – it’s not a life sentence of torture and pain, but a brief period in which you can contribute, on your own terms, to a successful business that is valued and respected by the wider community.
The funds raised by the P&F all go directly back to the school to benefit the students. Some examples of what has been purchased in the past include computers, iPads, books, readers, vacuum cleaners, furniture and fittings, games and puzzles, science resources, garden beds, robots.
This is all thanks to the hard work of our parents.
