‘A beautiful tradition’: Northern Ont. students form human chain to donate food, money ahead of holidays

Northern food bank handed donations by kids For 25 years, Mapleridge Public School students have formed a human chain to pass donations collected at the school to the local food bank.

There’s an old saying that many hands make light work and it was certainly all hands on deck at the Powassan and District Food Bank Friday morning.

The nearly 300 students from Mapleridge Public School dropped their pencils and textbooks and trudged over to the food bank to donate all of the food and money donations they collected over the last week.

The students, bundled up, formed into a long human chain passing each item onto the next person in line to get all the donations to food bank staff.

"It makes me feel good on the inside and I know people are getting the proper food around Christmas time,” said Grade 7 student Dawson Gauthier.

A 25-YEAR HISTORY

The school has run this yearly holiday tradition for the past 25 years. When Grade 7/8 teacher Gracie Simpson-Malek was a student at the school, her mom was a teacher. At that time, the food bank was located only steps away from the school.

So her mom, now retired, started the human chain as a way of giving back to the less fortunate.

“I have been a part of this in many different ways. Once the food bank moved locations, we've just kept up the tradition,” Simpson-Malek said.

“It’s a beautiful tradition to watch. Powassan is an amazing community that comes together.”

A WEEK LONG FOOD DRIVE

Simpson-Malek’s class took the lead on the project this year. For the past week, the school held a different special charity donation day each day to encourage the kids to donate a wide variety of food items the food bank is in need of.

The kids dressed up like superheroes Monday to encourage the donation of cans of soup.

On Tuesday, the kids brought in between 75 and 100 tubes of toothpaste.

Wednesday, the students brought in food items that are more commonly associated with what they called “fancy feasts.”

On Thursday, the school held ‘Change for Change’ day, where kids opened their piggy banks or brought some of their allowance money in to be donated.

Friday was pyjama day where kids brought in breakfast items for donation.

“Some food can be pretty scarce at this time,” said Aiden Easton, a grade 7 student who was proud to take part.

“Everyone needs their food.”

In recent weeks, Simpson-Malek has been teaching her students about financial literacy, and why there has been a recent inflation in the cost of living along with a spike in grocery prices.

“It was great to think of the buying power that the food bank has with that money,” she said.

The food bank expects the donations to feed roughly 90 adults and 25 kids in Powassan and its surrounding area this Christmas.

"I'm overwhelmed and enriched by it. I can't believe how people are so giving at this time, especially this year with the economy being so bad,” said food bank coordinator Diane Cole.

“But yet, we're doing very well in regard to food and monetary donations.”

In total, the students collected close to 600 food items and hygiene products as well as over $500 in monetary donations.

“It makes me feel proud because we gave stuff to people who can’t afford much,” said grade 7 student Wesley Windsor.