While most students at St. Thomas High School enjoyed a Friday off, a couple dozen of them spent part of the day helping to give back to the community.
No formal academic courses were held but the students who were involved in the food and sock drive still received a valuable life learning education.
“It’s quite overwhelming. But I’m so, so grateful that my school was able to accumulate all these things,” Asherah Randhan Page, a Grade 9 student, told Global News.
The kids filled 96 boxes of non-perishable food destined for On Rock Community Services, a West Island food bank, that will distribute food baskets to underprivileged families.
“I hope they’re happy with what they get, especially, it’s Christmas … almost, so it’s nice to give people stuff,” Charles Bubman, a Grade 11 student, told Global News.
This is not the first year the school has organized a food and clothing drive and the demand to help the less fortunate has not abated. More than a dozen large, black garbage bags filled with socks, collected by the students and their families, are destined for St-Michael’s Mission, and will be distributed to Montreal’s homeless population.
“I’m totally shocked about the amount that has been donated and how generous our community is and our schools,” Ericka Baron, a parent and volunteer, told Global News as she prepared to fill the back of her car wagon with the socks for delivery.
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Preparing for the collection and sorting the food and socks took months of planning but the students were able to sort and package all the items in just one hour in a logistically smooth operation.
Fifteen food baskets will also serve some of the families who have students that attend St. Thomas.
“Just bringing some joy to some families and helping through the holiday to hopefully relieve some of the stress there,” Marie-Josée Coiteux, the St. Thomas High School principal, told Global News.
It was an all-out campaign by students to spread some joy, warmth and food to those in most need.