The 23 students at Pleasant Valley Christian Academy (PVCA) gathered more than 400 bags of food as a result of their Annual Food Drive the week before Thanksgiving.
As part of an emphasis on community service, students leave grocery bags with an attached note on front doors in the morning and return to retrieve filled grocery bags the next afternoon.
This year, 750 bags were delivered to residents in the neighbourhoods surrounding the school, with 429 full bags being returned.
“Vernon residents have been generous year after year in responding to the students’ food drive, said PVCA principal Shannon Gerber. “PVCA appreciates the support of Save-On-Foods in Vernon, as they donated all of the grocery bags for the food drive.
Gerber said teaching students to serve humanity is a key part of the mission of the school, which educates students from kindergarten to Grade 9.
“Students enjoyed the opportunity to meet with some of our neighbours, help those in need, and get out of the classroom,” she said. “One young student remarked that this was his ‘best day ever,’ while another was thrilled to be called back to a house where the resident had forgotten to put the bag out but still wanted to contribute.”
Working in cooperation with Neighbour Link, the Vernon Seventh-day Adventist Church, which owns and operates PVCA, is frequently called upon to supply food hampers to needy families in the community.
