Oshawa teens hit the streets for Kiwanis food drive

43,000 pounds of food collected last year

NewsDurhamRegion.com
http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/article/123345

OSHAWA -- More than 150 Oshawa teens braved the wind and rain Saturday morning to take part in a massive one-day food drive for Simcoe Hall Settlement House.

Last weekend, the student volunteers fanned out across Oshawa, dropping off 17,000 flyers advertising the 11th annual Kiwanis Food Drive, and asking residents to place donations in the bags provided and leave them on their front porches this Saturday.

A record setting 43,000 pounds of food was collected last year, a total Simcoe Hall Executive Director Sandra Sweet hopes to meet or beat this time around.

“We realize it’s a tough economy, but this food drive doesn’t rely on one person giving a lot,” she said. “All we need is a lot of people to give a little. Even if it’s just one or two cans of food.”

Ms. Sweet said Simcoe Hall and other local food banks have seen a 25 per cent increase in demand over this time last year, which makes the annual food drive especially vital.

There isn’t a particular type of food that the food bank needs, Ms. Sweet said whatever families have in their cupboards is what other families need.

Samantha Pedicelli and Emilia Zawierski, both 15, were among the crowd of students who packed the Simcoe Hall gymnasium bright and early on Saturday, ready to hit the road with volunteer drivers to pick up donations, and then bring them back to the gym for sorting and boxing.

“This is our first year doing it, we read about it in the paper and we wanted to get involved,” Samantha said, noting the event helps students complete the volunteer hours that are now part of the Ontario high school curriculum.

Brandon Boisvert, also 15, was one of several Air Cadets who showed up in uniform to lend a hand.

“I wanted to show that Cadets care about the community, we do more than just our own training,” he said.

Fifteen local high schools, as well as Kingsway College, were represented at the food drive.

Simcoe Hall Settlement House is an Oshawa agency that offers after-school programs, day camps, parent coaching, life skills programs, a food bank and other help for children and families.