Princess Margaret and Penticton Secondary School students are banding together for their annual fundraiser to benefit Camp Joshua, an orphanage for children in Arusha, Tanzania.

Students gathered at Princess Margaret on Oct. 13 to assemble dry soup mix packages that they will be selling throughout the community. Each school will get 1,000 packages of the dry soup mix to sell for $8 each.

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“We usually plan an annual trip [to Tanzania] except this year, but we’re still selling the soup,” said Isabella Biggs, grade 12 leadership student at Princess Margaret and the student organizer for the fundraiser. “So instead, this year half of the funds raised will go to the leadership classes in Penticton and the other half will go to Camp Joshua in Tanzania.”

Even though the students are unable to visit the children at the orphanage this year, Biggs explained it was still important to the student and staff volunteers to run the fundraiser.

“I went last year and it meant the entire world to me – it changed my life,” said Biggs. “So any dollar that can help that place, Camp Joshua, means everything to me. And it’s great to help the leadership classes raise money. I think it will make a significant difference because the leadership classes do a lot in the community and the schools.”

The students assembled three types of soup mix, chicken, vegetable and beef. Biggs said students at both schools will be selling the soup packages throughout the community and at Christmas markets.

The packages will also be available for purchase at both schools for those interested. Each package makes 16 servings and comes with instructions on how to prepare it.

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