Children who rely on Brockville’s food bank will no longer have to miss out on birthday gifts. This is thanks to the hard work and generosity of students at Westminster Public School and support from local community partners.
On Thursday, students from Grades 1 to 3 at Westminster donated 360 birthday kits to the Brockville and Area Food Bank. Each kit is intended for one child in a family that uses the food bank. The number of kits matches the total number of pupils at the school.
Amanda Petch, general manager of the food bank, said the donation is “pretty awesome.” She explained, “This will give probably every kid in our food bank a birthday gift this year.” The food bank serves about 400 children and around 2,000 people in total every month. Petch added that they hope to add more kits to cover every child.
The project began in April Bischof’s Grade 3 class. Pam Russell’s Grade 1 and 2 class also joined the effort. Bischof and Petch have known each other since attending Brockville Collegiate Institute. Bischof contacted Petch in the fall with the idea, which the students developed themselves.
“This has been a full semester project for them,” said Petch.
The students then sought sponsors to support the project. These included Brockville Hyundai, Trillium Health Care Products, Newterra, Northern Cables, and McDonald’s.
Each birthday kit contains cake mix, icing, a baking pan, balloons, candles, a birthday card, a can of pop, McDonald’s coupons, and a handmade 3D-printed keychain. The keychains were created by students at TISS, led by Grade 12 student Caretta Harder.
Some Westminster students use the food bank or the Weekender Program, which provides food packages for weekends. Bischof said the project was especially meaningful because of this connection. “It really bothered them that there’d be people who probably wouldn’t have a birthday party or cake,” she said.
On Tuesday, the students assembled all the kits in the school gym. Bischof described it as “an assembly line” where every student had a role. The process took about three hours.
The project also aligns with the Upper Canada District School Board’s “Real-World Learning” program. Jacqueline Hoogwerf, a partner with the program, said the students identified a community need and took action to help.
“This work tied into their reading and math lessons,” Hoogwerf added. “It helped the students connect what they learn in school with real life, and gave them a sense of involvement in the wider community.”
Eight-year-old Abigail Typhair said, “We do this so we can help the community.” Nine-year-old Jordan Tosam added, “My hands are sore from all the lifting. It made me feel great knowing this was going to help a lot of people.”
