White Woods Public School teacher Erin Graham-Mitchell is pleased with the outcome of the school’s Take Action team with the recent Parade of Lights in Sturgeon Falls.
Graham-Mitchell says the team collected $616 from people taking in the annual parade as well as food.
Graham-Mitchell says although the dollar amount is similar to last year’s dollar total, it’s significant.
“Last year one family donated $500 and this year that family wasn’t able to donate that much,” Graham Mitchell said.
She says it means more members of the community reached into their pockets and donated to the cause.
The cause in this instance is the West Nipissing Food Bank.
Graham-Mitchell says 10 students from the Take Action team walked along the parade floats taking up collections and also giving out candy.
The chair of the food bank, Ken Perrin, will pick-up the cheque.
In addition, the agency will also pick-up the food the students collected.
Graham-Mitchell says in the past she would drop the food off at the food bank.
But more recently, food bank personnel have gone to White Woods to gather the food.
Graham-Mitchell acknowledges this means more work for the personnel, but adds there’s a bit of a reward for the students when the transition of food is carried out this way.
“It just makes it a little more real for the students to see that it is going to somebody and that their work is greatly appreciated,” she said.
The food bank will be another recipient this Friday when Moose 99.3 carries out its annual radiothon.
This year the goal is to raise as much as $10,000 which would go toward the purchase of a walk-in refrigerator so the food bank can store perishable food.