THUNDER BAY -- Kindergarten students from Nor’Wester View Public School got to play the role of Santa’s elves on Thursday.
Hammers and nails in hand, the youngsters turned a cozy corner at Home Depot into a toy workshop, and with the help of parents and grandparents, pieced together a pair of toys, one of which will be given to children in need.
The toys will be given to the Christmas Cheer fund, which provides gifts to children along with a hamper of food to feed their family for a week.
Janice Hill, a kindergarten teacher at Nor’Wester View, said the project was spearheaded by discussions about the spirit of giving and the holiday season.
“We donate to Christmas Cheer every year and we all thought it would be a good idea to donate toys to the Christmas Cheer fund for the children that don’t have any toys this year,” said Hill, adding they’re hosting a sock hop at the school, with proceeds being donated to the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society.
“Our school is actually the school that has collected the most Christmas Cheer (funds) over the last four years. We’ve raised over 4,000 items.”
Home Depot’s Brian Phillips said the company is only too happy to help out.
The store offers similar toy-building workshops throughout the year, but the chance to give back to a great cause made it an easy decision to take part in.
“I think it’s great for the kids learning to give,” Phillips said.
“The meaning of Christmas is not always getting but always giving and I think it’s a great lesson to learn at such a young age.”
Students built a variety of different toys, including wooden race cars.
