Valleycliffe's Stawamus Elementary is proving itself as a school of little people with big hearts as students generously reach out to help those in need.
The Stawamus schoolchildren are helping the local food bank through a Shaw TV charitable initiative called Together is Amazing, which is pegged as "a movement stemming from the human truth that people like to belong to something bigger, and that a shared life is a fuller life."
Promoting global citizenship and social responsibility, Together is Amazing helps children realize the bigger world out there sometimes needs help, said school clerical assistant Muff Hackett.
"This project helps students identify needs within the community of Squamish and even though they cannot donate much, they send it from the heart and that is what matters."
It was important for the students to gain a greater appreciation for what it takes to stock food bank shelves, she said. Working with the local community is a key goal for the school.
"The food donations go to our local food bank and this is really important to us. Keeping the benefits in the community is something we're keen on," said Hackett.
What also makes this event so special, said Hackett, is many of the children come from families who are using the food bank.
"Our school population is very small - with 87 students - and a lot of our students use the food bank. So this is an excellent opportunity for them to give back to the community," she said.
With the power of millions of people in communities across Canada, Shaw is hoping to collect thousands of pounds of food for people in need.
Nickie Bourque of the Squamish Shaw office said she loves what this initiative brings to the growing community.
"As a long time resident of Squamish, I have watched the town grow from a little community with no stop lights to what we are today," she said.
"Shaw and Campbell's Canada have taken on a huge commitment tobring awareness of the need to feedthe hungry by matching the donated weight of food - so one pound equals three pounds," she said.
Food bank visitation in Canada is up 14 per cent from last year, and one third of food bank users are children, said Bourque, adding that the need for food bank donations has never been greater.
"With this growth we have also seen the rise of homelessness and families in need of assistance.Shaw's initiative Together Is Amazing is a greatway for all communities to come together and help the less fortunate," she said.
Until Nov. 15, people of Squamish are welcome to give their food donations to any Shaw technician or drop them off at any Shaw retail location. Mountain FM hasteamed upwith Shaw with regular radio announcements on the food drive and a donation station is also set up at their office.
