The Student Association Council (S.A.C) from Chippewa Secondary School has continued a tradition with a history going back 31 years by holding a food drive benefitting the Salvation Army.
The volunteer-based food drive, involving the council, staff and students from Chippewa has impressed community members such as John Dobbs, the director of program services for the local Salvation Army.
“These students and their peers are the future of organizations that rely heavily on volunteers. Taking time out from their busy days and evenings to volunteer and organize such things as a food drive shows a lot about their character,” he says.
This year, the Salvation Army’s Food Bank will serve more than 2,700 individuals and families in the North Bay area, as well as provide 2,000 school lunches to a number of area schools.
Dobbs says the Salvation Army felt the need to thank the Chippewa volunteers in person and will be doing the same with the We Team from Vincent Massey Public School. The We Team is an even younger group of volunteers sure to carry the torch when the current group graduates from high school.
Dobbs also highlights the sense of commitment he sees in the students each year. He says even though the kids are required to do 40 volunteer hours during their time in high school, a large majority of the students go well beyond that, some logging 200 hours or more per year. “These young adults provide a hope for the future and we feel it is important their efforts do not go unrecognized or get taken for granted,” he says.
