Students raised $257K in bike-a-thon to donate to Edmonton’s Food Bank

Edmonton's Food Bank is benefiting from a recent bike-a-thon at Strathcona High School. The students raised $257,000.

Students from Strathcona Composite High School put the pedal to the metal and raised $257,000, which they donated to Edmonton’s Food Bank.

The money was raised through the school’s 18th annual bike-a-thon last month.

The goal was to raise $250,000 to help get an industrial walk-in cooler for the food bank.

“We were able to afford this beautiful (cooler) 100 per cent and thanks to them, we were able to use those funds to purchase more food for the people we’re serving,” said Tamisan Bencz-Knight, a spokesperson for the food bank.

The cooler will be used throughout the year to keep produce fresh and as long-term storage for the fall harvest.

“Currently, we’re feeding over 43,000 people a month, and those numbers continue to rise,” Bencz-Knight said.

“Which means we have to bring in more food and that means we need more equipment, and this cooler will be essential for us to continue serving the community.”

The food bank isn’t the only organization the school has supported over the years.

Students put in months of work each year as part of the Scona Initiative.

“We’ve done the Scona Initiative for many, many years, but this is the first time that we’ve actually had the opportunity to witness the fruition of our hard work,” said Hans Van Ginhoven, principal of Strathcona Composite High School.

Last year, students raised more than $241,000 for Sombrilla, an organization that provides access to higher levels of education to people in rural areas of Honduras.

“The first time we did it … I think we raised about $29 and over the last few years, we’ve really evolved it to make it an integral part of our community,” Van Ginhoven said.

Students at the school say they hope the work they’ve done inspires other schools and communities to help make a difference where they can.

“For us, it wasn’t just about selecting a charity, whether in Edmonton or internationally, it was about making a change and making that difference,” said Emmanuella Oyewo.

“Everyone’s so proud of the accomplishment that we made … we made a difference, and we made a change, and it was such a great accomplishment.”

Information on how to donate to Edmonton’s Food Bank is available online.