A group of proactive students in Burns Lake will be making a difference in the community by spending an evening collecting food items for the Lakes District Food Bank. The students will be going door to door with Lakes District Secondary School’s (LDSS) minibus collecting the largest possible number of non-perishable food items.
“The goal this year is to fill the bus,” said LDSS teacher Patti Dube.
This will be the third consecutive year of the ‘We scare hunger’ campaign in Burns Lake. Last year, the group collected approximately 1100 food items.
“Students want to volunteer doing something concrete in the community that will have an immediate impact for those in need of food,” said Dube. “The students are always very encouraged by the amount of support they receive in the community for this event.”
The participating students are part of the student interact club, which is connected to the Rotary Club of Burns Lake. The group has about 30 members, with ages ranging from 13 to 17.
The students will be driving around Burns Lake on Oct. 27, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. If you are not home on Oct. 27 but would still like to donate non-perishable food items, donations can be dropped off at LDSS.
According to Food Banks Canada, 13 per cent of Canadians live in a state of food insecurity, which means they do not have reliable access to adequate amounts of safe, good-quality, nutritious food. The people who visit food banks come from all backgrounds - including families with children, employed people whose low wages do not cover basic living essentials, individuals on social assistance, and Canadians living on a fixed income, including seniors and people with disabilities.