Grow, Learn, Give: Students donate to Valley East Food Bank

Redwood Acres Public School students Kyle Peacock and Mallory Babin help load a truck of vegetables for the Valley East Food Bank. This is the second year that students, parents and staff have planted and harvested vegetables to donate to local food banks.

Students at Redwood Acres Public School proudly display the vegetables in which they planted, harvested and later donated to the Valley East Food Bank.  Last year, the students donated their harvest to the Elizabeth Centre in Val Caron.

It was a kind gesture that
was months in the making.  Students
at Redwood Acres Public School recently donated vegetables that they planted,
maintained and harvested themselves to the Valley East Food Bank.

“For the students, this
experience deepened the meaning of the word ‘give’,” said Principal Susan
Cousineau.  “Students shared in the
process of creating something that benefited others. Donating something that
they invested their time and effort in made the process of giving that much
more rewarding.”

Over the last two years,
students at Redwood Acres Public School maintained a garden thanks to Home
Depot and parent volunteers.  Last
year, the fall harvest was donated to the Elizabeth
Centre in Val Caron. This year, the crop of potatoes, squash, zucchini,
carrots, tomatoes and lettuce, weighing a total of 62 kilograms, was donated to
the Valley East Food Bank.

“The process not only helped to
instill a sense of community in our students, it also taught them about the
life cycle of plants and vegetables,” added Principal Cousineau.  “When the students returned to school
in September, they were excited to see how big their tomato plants had grown and
how many beans they had on their stocks. This has been a tremendous learning
experience – from how food grows to how good it feels to give.” 

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Media Contact:

Susan Cousineau, Principal, Redwood Acres Public
School,

Rainbow District School Board, 705-675-0202.