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Students make meals for homeless at RFDA kitchen

THUNDER BAY -- A year ago Moumita Roy and her classmates enjoyed a Christmas feast at Woodcrest Public School. This year they decided to give back to the community instead.
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Thirteen-year-old Woodcrest Public School students Erlise Pagalia and Ryan Laukka make sandwiches on Wednesday at the Regional Food Distribution Assocation’s kitchen. The sandwiches are destined for Shelter House. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY -- A year ago Moumita Roy and her classmates enjoyed a Christmas feast at Woodcrest Public School.

This year they decided to give back to the community instead.

On Wednesday the 12-year-old and 39 students from the north-side school descended on the Regional Food Distribution Association, helping to sort food and make sandwiches and soup to feed the city’s hungry and homeless.

“We thought this year we would come here and help out other people instead because we have so much so we thought we’d give back to other people,” Moumita said.

“All of us in Grade 8 at Woodcrest we’re fairly well off and there are a lot of people around here that aren’t as well off as us. It’s good to give back what we can to them. It’s been really fun so far.”

Thirteen-year-old Erlise Pagalia said she’s starting to become aware that not everyone has a lot of food on their table at this time of year – or any time of year, for that matter.

It’s why she was so eager to lend a helping hand.

“A lot of the students at our school like to celebrate for themselves and their classes, but we thought it would be nice to give back to the community and help out,” she said.

It was a fun experience too, Erlise added.

“This is going to go help a lot of people, so it feels really good,” she said.

Pamela Isherwood is a Grade 8 teacher at Woodcrest and said it made her proud to see all 40 students working with enthusiasm and joy.

It says a lot about their character, she said.

“They’re smiling, they’re happy and they understand that they’re giving back to people. Someone’s going to have a meal because of this. They’re so appreciative and it’s making them reflect on how much Thunder Bay cares and how we care about our community and those who can’t,” Isherwood said.

Food bank usage is up significantly in 2014 and teaching students at a young age about the problems facing many in the community can only help in the long run, said the RFDA’s Kelsey Agnew, the organization’s kitchen program co-ordinator.

“It gives them a bigger scope of what’s happening and where all this food is going and how it’s been helping out people in the community,” Agnew said.

“It’s just really important for them to see all sides of our community and all the help that’s needed.”



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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