Move over chocolate-covered almonds or wrapping paper sales, several School District 72 schools have opted for a fundraiser that not only helps their school, but also benefits the community and those in need this fall and winter.
From teaching children about the importance of local agriculture, encouraging healthy eating, sparking an interest in cooking, and giving back to those in need, the Fresh to You fundraiser through BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation has helped École des Deux Mondes, École Phoenix, École Willow Point, Georgia Park and Sayward elementary schools combine fundraising with delivering valuable learning opportunities for students.
Schools receive bundles of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables to sell to family and friends as a fundraiser and, to help schools support families who have found it challenging to get fresh produce during COVID-19, Fresh to You matches every bundle sold so that schools can share produce with those in need.
At École des Deux Mondes two classes alone sold approximately 150 produce bundles and donated the matched produce to the school district’s food service program which delivers weekly breakfast, lunch, and snack packages to students’ homes.
Georgia Park Elementary sold over 290 bundles of food which was also matched by Fresh to You. The school donated most of those matched fruit and veggies to the Campbell River Food Bank at the beginning of December. Thanks to the school’s fundraiser the food bank received 13 50-pound bags of potatoes, 19 cases of apples, seven 50-pound bags of onions and more!
“The amount of food was incredible and extremely generous to help families affected by COVID-19 in our community,” said Mary Morrow, Georgia Park teacher-librarian. “It was a tremendous way for our families to give back to the community during these difficult times.”
For Georgia Park, the fundraiser sold over $6,700 of produce with 40 percent or $2,680 going to the school to support the revitalization of their school garden.
BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization that works with educators to bring local agriculture to BC students and a BC school fruit and vegetable nutritional program. The Fresh to You fundraising initiative is available for schools that are currently enrolled in the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program.
This story has been reproduced with permission from School District 72 (Campbell River). The original posting can be found here.