Story and photo submitted
For the third consecutive year, students at Alliance French Immersion School participated in the WE Scare Hunger campaign, a Halloween food drive. On the night where most children are out collecting candy and other treats, many Alliance students visited their neighbours to collect non-perishable food items for the North Bay Food Bank. All tolled, they were able to collect approximately 1500 pounds of food this year.
“Students are encouraged to visit just two houses, hoping to collect 2 food items at each house. We don’t want to take the fun out of Halloween, but it is a great opportunity for the children to give back to their community by making a small sacrifice,” says teacher Alyson Roynon.
JK student Ben Yerlitz, who just turned 4 years old, participated in his first We Scare Hunger this year.
“We believe that it's important to give back and teach kindness towards others at a young age. Our children learn compassion, empathy and gratitude while spending time together as a family,” explains Rachael Yerlitz, Ben’s mother. “Our family has been blessed and we feel it is our duty to help those in need, especially those in our own community.”
Ben and his family collected 6 bags of food.
WE Scare Hunger is an initiative encouraged by Free the Children, the Craig Kielburger organization. In September, thirteen Alliance students attended We Day in Toronto, a celebration intended for young people to empower them and help them believe that they can make a difference in their school, community and the world.
Sam Fisher, a grade 6 student, attended We Day this year and participated in We Scare Hunger campaign. “I was changed by the experience at We Day because now I know I can make a change in the world even though I am just one person”, she said.
Speakers such as Martin Luther King 3rd, astronaut Chris Hatfield and speaker Spencer West motivated students mostly from Ontario to not let anyone stand in the way of what they believe in.
