Students at Burnaby South Secondary are good at raising money for causes abroad, but one particular group has decided to address the needs of their fellow classmates by helping out with the school's food program.
"It was really lacking," says Grade 12 student Amon Kale. "We needed to fill that void."
Filling the void meant raising money for food to fill the bellies of Burnaby South students, something Kale set about doing by helping form the school's We Council.
"I had wanted to do something for a while," Kale says. "There are a lot of groups (in the school) that do that kind of work, but nothing geared towards the school itself."
The We Council helps with humanitarian causes abroad. Kale says students have sponsored a school in Africa and raised money for Haiti and Indonesia after they were hit by earthquakes. And while it's admirable to help people overseas, Kale would like to address local needs as well.
"Burnaby has an incredibly high poverty rate. It's actually shocking how high it is," he says. "So I really felt there was a need toward this. I just couldn't let that stand."
Every year, the We Council raises money to buy grocery store food vouchers, which a school staff member passes out to roughly 15 students in need. Most of the students receiving vouchers are in the district's program for young parents.
The We Council collects money from staff, students and teachers, and spreads the word by creating announcements and videos to broadcast at the school.
Burnaby South runs a breakfast and lunch program, which provides meals to roughly 45 students each day. The We Council helps by supplementing that program with the food vouchers, which help students when school is not in session or teen moms need groceries. With the vouchers, students can pick what they want from the grocery store.
"It gives them a lot more freedom," Kale says.
The key idea for Kale is that the students are addressing need in their own community, a need a lot of people don't know about, he says.
"If we can help those farther away from us, we can definitely help those closest to us," he says, adding kids who eat properly tend to perform better at school.
"I think we have an impact in that regard," he says.
Burnaby South staff member Mala Kumar was raising questions about sending money off to Africa, when local kids were going hungry. She helps by passing out the food vouchers to students.
"I think it's awesome. No one knows who's who, only the staff members," she says. "It works out really well."
Principal Gordon Li says the program is fantastic.
"It does two things: it helps the students in need, but on the other hand, it really empowers students to know they can help others in the community," Li says. "That's the beauty of We Council."
To donate to the campaign, call Burnaby South Secondary, 604-664-8560, and say you want to donate to the Rebels Food Program.
