By Luke Voogt
Ruth Christian has risen early nearly every Wednesday for the past 26 years to don her apron and feed Geelong’s homeless and disadvantaged.
“When the apron wears out, I’ll stop,” the 75-year-old told the Indy this week.
“It’s got a couple of creases but it’s probably got less signs of wear than I have.”
Ruth helped serve the first dinner at Christ Church when it began its community meals program in 1991 “to connect with the community”.
“We were pretty good at food, so we figured that was what we were called to do.
“The thing we have at Christ Church is location – people can get to it from all over Geelong.”
Ruth has volunteered at breakfast since – apart from a break between 2004 and 2006 at the end of her 43-year teaching career.
“We never thought it would still be going all these years later,” she said.
“We didn’t know how great a need it was going to fill, but we discovered quite quickly.”
Ruth insists the meals are “not just about the food” for the homeless but giving them someone to talk to.
“It was those human interactions that made it important to me and still make it important to me.”
But after years of serving breakfast, Ruth still doesn’t like getting up on a Wednesday.
“By the time we get there I’m quite sunny and cheerful, but I’m not necessarily when I get out of bed.”
“No” agreed her husband Laurie, who drives her to church and has himself supported the program for 15 years.
Ruth said “countless” people, whose lives had improved after the attending the meals, were keen to give back.
“They’ve got themselves to a situation where they can focus on other people, not just themselves.”
Ruth remembers some frightening moments like when a man “in a bad way” became aggressive after she called him an ambulance.
But the next week the man thanked her “for saving his life”.
“I do it because I know it makes a difference.”
Ruth said the local school and groups supporting the program were “too many to name”.
“We would be nowhere without the help we get from the community.”
Program co-ordinator Jan McGowan volunteers like Ruth were “why people were willing support it”.
“She’s the last (original) ones left standing,” she said.
“A lot of the other people have gotten too old – it’s grown and there’s more work to do.”
The church serves at least 100 meals every Monday and Wednesday, up from 80 a few years ago, and breakfast every day – even Christmas and Good Friday.
Jan said the group was managing the workload but: “It’s lovely when younger people say they want to do it because we’re not going to last forever.”
