It’s nearly time to show that Willingdon community spirit again! Because when compassion and community connect, real change happens. So, let’s come together to donate non-perishables, to be collected and distributed by Carolyn’s Community.

What do I bring?

Here are some suggestions for items to donate. Please try to keep in mind that a wider variety of healthy items is always best.

• Canned goods (fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, soups, broths, etc.)
• Dry foods (pasta, rice, quinoa, couscous, flour, sugar and other baking ingredients, breakfast cereal, oatmeal, etc.)
• Pantry items (pasta sauce, tomato paste, vegetable oil, olive oil, vinegar, peanut butter, salt, pepper, spices, etc.)
• Peanut-free lunch snacks (crackers, granola bars, cookies, pudding, etc.)
• Baby food (cereals, crackers, pouched purées, etc.)
• Staples (tea, coffee, condiments like ketchup and mayo, etc.)

Why is this important?

The food drive is an excellent opportunity to teach our kids about food insecurity — and not just globally but right here in our own community. There will be visual trackers to measure how much we’ve collected around the school so that students can track our collective progress and to encourage them to get involved in giving back locally.

Before, during and after…

We need two volunteers at junior and one at senior to put up the posters and tracker on Monday March 31st. Also need that volunteer to update the posters on the boxes that are kept in home and school and in the science room.

The week of the Food Drive, we need 2 volunteers daily at junior campus, and one at senior campus (week of April 7th) to bring down the food from each floor into the cafeteria, count the cans, sort and store. Also update the chart with the amount of cans representing the number of food items collected. Volunteer would need to arrive at 9;30 so as to give the kids enough time to put their donations in the boxes and enough time to count, sort and put away before lunch time.

Monday April 14th, when the pick ups will be, we need two volunteers at junior at 9:00 to help divide up the stuff into groupings for pick up. One volunteer to pick up everything at senior that is stored and bring to junior at 10;00.