Oliver Lees
Pupils at Diggers Rest Primary School are showing their can-do attitude by joining forces with the Salvation Army to give back to those in the community that need support.
With the help of their teachers, the school’s student council came up with the idea to collect cans of food from their parents and the broader community to donate to the Salvation Army in Sunbury.
Through the donation drive, entitled ‘SOUPERHERO’, the pupils rounded up more than 500 cans of food items in the first three days of collection.
Salvation Army Sunbury employee Jasmine said she was “gobsmacked” by the quantity of donations.
“There is a substantial increase in the number of community members in need of food packages for 2021,” she said.
“This clear spike in numbers is directly associated with the increasing toll the pandemic is having on our community and it takes enormous efforts like this to support them accordingly.”
Diggers Rest Primary School inclusion leader Brad Kemp said the initiative had been embraced by the entire school.
“It’s been great to see, especially given that it’s pretty much entirely student run,” Brad said.
“With the year we’ve had, you hear stories through the school of families doing it tough, people losing work or having to juggle homeschooling commitments.
“The pinch is on everyone. It’s nice to see this generosity really shines through all of that.”
The collection drive will run for the entire school term.
Details: Salvation Army Sunbury, 9744 2095.
