Clayton Heights Secondary students are collecting donations for the local food bank again.
The school’s 15th annual “Halloween for Hunger” food drive kicks off in a couple weeks when students will again give out donation bags throughout the neighbourhood.
“We will be handing out bags on Oct. 25 and 26,” said Sarah Daintrey, a teacher at Clayton Heights and the event’s chief organizer. “We plan to hand out over 1,000 bags to our community.”
Students will go back and pick up the bags a couple days later on Oct. 28.
“Donations can be dropped off at the school until 8 p.m.,” she added. “Students will be out picking up bags until 7 p.m.”
Students and also members of the community have until 8 p.m. to fill a donation truck that will be parked in the Clayton Heights Secondary parking lot. After that, the truck will head back to the Cloverdale Community Kitchen, with all donations going to support the Fraser Valley Regional Food Bank.
“The truck will be here all day,” explained Daintrey. “If people want to come and drop off donations during the day, that is totally fine too.”
Last year the kids collected about 4,500 items for the food bank.
“We are hoping to do that and a little bit more,” she added. “The community is in a lot of need right now.”
She said Halloween for Hunger will end a day earlier than last year’s drive.
“We are staying away from Halloween because it is a very busy day in our neighbourhood. We don’t want to cause more distractions on a busy night.”
Daintrey finds it hard to believe Halloween for Hunger is in its 15th year.
“It has been a long standing tradition in our school,” she said. “I am so proud of how both our students and our community come together to make this all happen.
“The Cloverdale Community Kitchen does a lot of great work in our community and it’s nice to support something that helps people in need.”
Daintrey said the “fill up the truck” portion of Halloween For Hunger will run in the parking lot at the high school from 3 - 8 p.m. Oct. 28.
If anyone didn’t receive a donation bag, Daintrey is encouraging them to come down to the school that day with their donations.
She said the food bank needs the basics, things like canned goods, baby stuff, and toiletries.
Clayton Heights Secondary is located at 7003 188 Street.
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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