Hockey for Hunger returns to support food bank 

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Continuing their annual tradition to support the Wheatland County Food Bank, Crowther Memorial Junior High School gathered donations through their Hockey for Hunger exhibition game. 

Donna Lewis, a teacher at Crowther Memorial, explained the game offers an opportunity for the entire school to gather both for a good cause, as well as to celebrate their fellow students in the hockey program.

“We do a big game every year and we ask for admission from the (students) if they come over just to bring a food bank item to donate. It’s been going for about 13 years,” she said. “Our hockey program has been a fairly big thing for a few years, and it was just an easy way to combine an opportunity with our leadership students at the school to raise food bank items for the community. We found it a more productive way to get more food.”

Throughout the event, the school partners with Wheatland EMS and the Strathmore Fire Department to migrate all of the students’ donations from the Strathmore Famity Centre to the food bank. 

The leadership students are responsible for contacting Wheatland EMS and the Strathmore Fire Department to coordinate donation efforts, as well as conducting the in-school announcements and marketing efforts.

Lewis explained the school does not issue an exact goal in terms of donations, rather that students are encouraged to participate and bring in what they can.

“We have been marketing it at the school with posters; our leadership class has been announcing it for about two weeks. We promote it at the school level and try to get lots of participation,” said Lewis. “There’s no specific goal, just to get as many donations as we can and make everybody feel included – get as much as we can for the community and really try to put that community emphasis and spirit in the students to give back, especially around the Christmas season.”

Students participating in the Hockey for Hunger game largely consist of Grade 9’s, supplemented by a few of their younger peers who have all participated in the school’s hockey program. 

This year, Lewis said a total of approximately 75 students enrolled in the program between the three grades.

“They go to hockey program twice a week and it is part of their health and wellness and physical education. They practice on ice, do skill training and play games against one another,” she explained. “This is kind of the way to culminate and celebrate their achievements on the hockey program. The program continues after this, it is almost a mid-year point … and it is a prideful thing for them.”

Many of the students who participate are continuing to do so from their time in elementary, largely feeding into Crowther Memorial from Westmount.

At the conclusion of the game, the winning team is treated to celebration and bragging rights within the school. 

An exact count of weight or number of donations was not provided prior to the publication deadline.