The East Lake School won the Chestermere Food Bank donation challenge against Rainbow Creek Elementary School, with nearly 7000 donations collected.
“East Lake won with just under 7000 items and Rainbow Creek was just under 5000. It’s amazing, the students are so excited,” said the East Lake School Assistant Principal, Shannon Storey-Heffer.
East Lake challenged the Rainbow Creek Elementary School to see which school could collect the most food bank donations until Dec. 14.
The school that collected the least amount of food had to wear the other schools’ colours for one day, and the administration team had to buy the winning administration team a coffee.
“The RCMP came to help members of student council load up vehicles. They filled four vehicles top to bottom,” Storey-Heffer said.
Students at East Lake School were inspired to do a food drive this year, as they have collected donations for the Chestermere Food Bank in previous years.
“COVID-19 has made schools feel disconnected from our community. We wanted to give back and remind people that students and staff are here as a support system. We are also missing the friendly rivalry between schools that is normally present because of sports. We thought challenging Rainbow Creek would be a fun way to keep some of that spirit going while doing something that helps those in need,” Storey-Heffer said
For Rainbow Creek Elementary School, accepting East Lake School’s challenge was an easy decision.
“We loved the idea of having some fun with another school in our community. We are happy to give back to the community,” said Rainbow Creek Elementary School Assistant Principal Cristy Leonard-Glaspey.
She added, “We believe it is important for our students to understand ways that we can give back to the community and the positive way we can support others. This year it is even more important as we know it is tougher times due to COVID-19, and it feels good to do something for others during these times.”
