The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) in Brantford expressed their gratitude for the “We Scare Hunger” drives hosted by local schools at the end of October.
“We feel very blessed and privileged because of the support we received from local schools, especially during COVID,” Peter Giordano, SSVP Brant Youth vice president, said. “We were lucky enough to have over $2,000 in cash donations from various schools. In addition to that, some schools opted to do the physical drive with food and personal hygiene items, donating thousands of pounds of goods.”
Four schools hosted fundraisers and food drives around Halloween with the proceeds going to the SSVP including Assumption College, Saint Basil Elementary, Sacred Heart School and Resurrection School.
“The food and goods that were donated in these fundraisers will likely last us until the end of February or the beginning of March,” Kristine Paul said, store manager of the SSVP. “Their generosity helps our neighbours in need through the holiday season and beyond.”
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is volunteer based and prioritizes the needs of local families. The donated food items get sorted into categories and by expiration date. Volunteers then package the items into bags based upon the amount of people in the household in need. Non-food donations, like clothing and homegoods, that are not given to local families in need are sold in the SSVP thrift store or donated to Canadian Food for Children.
With the influx of donated goods, students from Assumption College volunteered at the SSVP on Friday, November 12 to assist with sorting.
“The degree of enthusiasm and energy that they brought to this is just totally overwhelming,” Giordano said. “Seeing these students spend their time helping out, being unselfish with their time, it makes me very optimistic for the future of our community.”
