Two local Grade 4 students have helped collect a haul of food donations after they decided to organize a food drive, which finished up last Thursday (March 23).
Olds Koininia Christian School (OKCS) students Nataliea Beaver-Hawman and Melody Fuller said they were inspired during GEMS (Girls Everywhere Meeting the Saviour), a girls' club they both attend at First Baptist Church.
"We were doing a lesson on addictions and we were talking about people who spent all their money on drugs and didn't have any food," said Fuller, "and that gave us the idea to start a food (drive)."
So they did. The pair approached OKCS principal Dwayne Brown about hanging a poster about it at the school.
"We get kids every once in a while that want to do activities to support the community and whenever that happens, I try to support it," said Brown. "So, when they came to me I said, ëyeah, let's go for it.'"
With backing from the school, they hung up their poster, installed a donation box near the front door, sent out some emails, and even managed a live broadcast over the school's intercom.
"I've never done that before," said Fuller. "It's kinda scary, because the whole school - like 300 people - can hear you."
The final day for donations was last Thursday (March 23), and the total tally was six boxes of food, a successful haul by their calculation.
"The first day that we actually got people to bring food, this box was full," said Fuller. "That made me feel really happy."
"We were jumping around," said Beaver-Hawman, "and then the next day there was another box. And then it kept going and going."
With some help from Brown and his van, the girls plan to take their spoils to the Mountain View Food Bank.
"We were doing a lesson on addictions and we were talking about people who spent all their money on drugs and didn't have any food and that gave us the idea to start a food (drive)."MELODY FULLERGRADE 4 STUDENT OLDS KOININIA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
