Christmas Food Drive is here!

Dawn Gill, from the House of Friendship, helped kick-off Rockway’s Annual Food Drive for the House of Friendship’s Christmas Hamper Program in style on Tues, Nov 21st!

During a chapel, students were invited up to help unpack a food hamper and asked to comment on what they found in there that was surprising.  Students were also asked to guess how long a food hamper is expected to last and for how many people.  The range of answers showed that there is so much to learn.

Then Dawn told us the story of woman who, after suffering a back injury, was unable to work and therefore unable to fully provide for her family.  And during times when money was really tight, like those in need, she didn’t think of food first.  She thought about rent, warm clothes for the winter and how she was going to make an event like Christmas special when the funds were just not there.

This is when she turned to the House of Friendship for support in the form of a food hamper for Christmas. She was treated with dignity there and, out of gratitude, she continues to volunteer at House of Friendship to this day.  What an insight this story and looking through the hamper brought to our students!

The Food Drive is one of our most valuable relationship-building and long-standing traditions.   It creates value for each of us at Rockway, for the House of Friendship, and for those in our region who find themselves in need of food, dignity and encouragement this season.

There are already over 2000 food items that have been collected by thoughtful students who began their collections on Halloween night!  And, in only the first few days of our campaign, we’ve collected another 1000 food items with the goal of reaching 80 cans/food items per person!  Reaching this goal will allow us to donate over 20,000 food items to House of Friendship on Dec 7^th.

With a focus on quality of food over quantity, the following are food items that the House of Friendship suggests:

• Canned beans
• Soup (canned or dried)
• Orange juice/fruit crystals
• Canned fruit
• Canned vegetables
• Honey
• Peanut Butter
• Macaroni and cheese
• Canned tuna or salmon
• Pasta

The House of Friendship also values cash or cheques (made out to “House of Friendship”) so they can purchase the vouchers/ food items they need most.

Collections of food will be welcome until Wednesday, December 6th and cash or cheques for House of Friendship will be collected until Thursday, December 7th.

Please join us in providing food and dignity to those in need this season.

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Source: Rockway.ca