It takes a team of real heroes to stand up to hunger.
Langdale Elementary School students may not have worn capes this Halloween, but they proved that local heroes do exist, as they championed South Coast Ford’s WE Scare Hunger contest, a Coast-wide student challenge to help stock Sunshine Coast Food Bank shelves.
Thanks to We Scare Hunger School District 46 (SD46) coordinator Kassandra Stinchcombe who catalyzed the regional charge to help those in need. With quick organization, students collectively were able to gather 4062 points, with one point awarded per food item, and one point per dollar.
Teachers Jane Ostachek and Tanya Staunton led the winning Division 1 team, with Educational Assistant Serena Pratt also helping support the students’ success. The school will also receive the now coveted ‘We Scare Hunger’ trophy for display until next year’s campaign begins.
Langdale Elementary School Principal Duncan Knight said that “he’s proud of the students’ efforts who demonstrated compassion, dedication and the spirit of volunteerism to help serve the local community in need”.
One inspired student, who went above and beyond, led the charge by canvassing door to door to help classmates achieve their goal, as their collections of food sprawled across the classroom floor during the two-week collection period.
When students learned that The Salvation Army Gibsons location suffered a recent fire setting them back for the holiday season, the students asked that their Food Bank donations be directed there.
As a result, the Salvation Army Sunshine Coast got an unexpected surprise as many boxes, bags, and crates of food gathered by the students were delivered in the Coast FM Community Cruiser to them. The winning team of grade 5 and 6 students managed to collect 654 items, also raising $414.
Matthew Hardman, Family Services Coordinator for the Salvation Army, said that ”the students made a huge impact during a critical time of need.”
For info on how to help, contact Sunshine Coast Food Bank: [email protected] or call 604-886-3665.
Story by Brenda Sleva
