Grocery cart wars at Crowther

Times Reporter

 

Teachers at Crowther Memorial Junior High School are once again challenging their students to bring in non-perishable food donations to compete in the annual grocery cart food bank wars. 

The contest started on Nov. 28 and students in each of the three PODs, Grade 7, 8 and 9, are competing to see who will come out on top.  

“We just got the idea that it would maybe be a cool idea to have grocery carts. So we went to Co-op and IGA at the time and they gave us a couple of carts each. We decorated them, and it just went and was very successful from that point onward,” said teacher Terry Motley who is organizing things.  

“The carts sit right at the front door there and the kids drop their food in as they come in. It’s a good visual for them if they forgot to remember the next time. It’s worked for us for a few years now.”

Collecting food for the Christmas Hamper Society isn’t the only initiative the school has happening. Amongst the other fundraising efforts the students have for local organizations, they also do an outreach to international organizations. Motley said there are often bake sales held to help World Vision and a Rwandan orphanage. 

The competition ends on Dec. 13 and students only have a few days left to bring in their food donations. 

“It usually builds because it’s a competition and the kids usually get keen about it about halfway through. So today was better than the other two days, and it will keep building now for the last three collection days,” said Motley. 

Last year over 1,000 items were collected for the Christmas Hamper Society and the goal is to at the very least match that amount, if not surpass it. The POD that collects the most food will be treated to an afternoon break from classes, doing something the teachers set out for them such as swimming, or watching movies.