It was a busy lunch hour at the St. Ignatius High School auditorium on Wednesday.
Grade 9 business computer students partnered with grade 11 marketing students for the school’s 17th annual Holiday Lunch Market, which raised funds for Christmas Cheer.
“I’m very proud of them,” said St. Ignatius business teacher Shannon Corbett, who has been involved with the markets since their inception.
“Essentially, they are running a business. They are going around town to find the cheapest products so that we can keep our expenses as low as possible, so we can raise as much money as possible for the charities.”
The markets take place in December and May with the funds going to different charities.
The amount from Wednesday’s event was still being tabulated, but the final totals from previous markets have ranged from $1,200 to $2,200 for organizations such as the Thunder Bay & District Humane Society and the Canadian Mental Health Association.
“The students pick the charity and I reach out to them and make sure that they are okay in receiving the donation, which they always are,” Corbett said.
Grade 11 students Kayden Lafond and Hailey Parkkari helped to run the Starry Nights Sweets cupcake stand, which was based around a New Year’s Eve theme.
Other booths were themed around other holidays, such as Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.
“I think this experience has definitely shown me that hard work pays off,” Lafond said. “You do all of the hard work, such as building the booth and getting all of the food, and it’s really nice to be able to give back to people who really need help during Christmas time.”
“I’m looking into going into the business field and this is giving me many skills that I’m looking forward to using on whatever path I want to take in life,” Parkkari added. “It’s opened a lot of doors for me.”
