THUNDER BAY - A local grocery store was a little busier than normal on Thursday, as students brought the classroom to the food aisles to get a real-world lesson on helping those in need.
On Thursday, grade 3 students from Nor’wester View Public School, along with student council mentors, went shopping at Westfort Foods in support of the Christmas Cheer Fund and Toys for Tots.
“We’re shopping for items on a list for people that don’t have any and need some for Christmas and the holiday,” said eight-year-old Hudson Van Dyk.
“We want to help other people who don’t have food and give them food so they can eat,” added classmate, Maggie Chisholm.
Kristi Lees, the grade 3 teacher at Nor’wester View School, said the shopping trip is a great way for the students to give back to the community.
“They are very excited,” Lees said. “All the students in our school really have giant hearts, really go out of their way throughout the school year to make a difference in the community.”
This year, the school has collected about 4,000 items for the Christmas Cheer Fund with a goal of collecting 5,000 items by the end of the week.
The school raised more than $600 to spend on food donations, but the kids were not running down the aisles and grabbing what they could. Lees said a lot of work and planning went into preparing grocery lists, which tied in well with what the kids have been learning in the classroom.
“We’ve been well prepared,” she said. “They’ve been studying flyers, learning about prices, practicing their mental math, they know they have a budget, learning the difference between perishable and non-perishable food, they know that it’s important to be choosing healthy food, and they are trying to understand the value of a dollar and how much they can get for their budget today.”
Lees added that the class could have simply donated money to the Christmas Cheer Fund, but it was important to bring the students to the grocery store to get a real hands-on lesson.
“It’s one thing to go and take leadership skills and raise money, but there is also value in being able to feel the difference when buying the food yourself and seeing what you are doing and how you are contributors,” she said.
It was also a way for the students to give back to community partners who have assisted their school with important nutritional programs.
“Westford Foods is a big supporter of our breakfast program and it’s another way to give back to the community, not only grocery shopping here, but then helping Christmas Cheer and Toys for Tots and it makes us feel even better during the holiday season,” Lees said.
