Students from a Vernon elementary school bowled over the Salvation Army Food Bank with kindness, coming in the form of a square wood crate.
More than 200 students in Grades 1 to 5 at BX Elementary School embarked on a journey to make a difference in the community through a school-based kindness project.
The kids acquired practical skills with hammers, handsaws, planers, sandpaper, and tape measures in their applied design skills and technology classes, and put them toward a kindness project to positively impact the community both now and in the future.
"Through this initiative, students have experienced first-hand the power of their positive actions," said BX vice principal Cordell Ware.
As part of the project, the students crafted wooden crates using reclaimed wood. The handmade crates are entirely student-created, showcasing their dedication and craftsmanship.
The process involved improving the wood quality and appearance with a planer, precisely measuring, marking, and cutting each piece, meticulously sanding each component, and assembling the crates using wood glue, nails, and various fasteners.
The students constructed 25 crates, requiring 375 wooden pieces and more than 500 nails.
The crates were available for purchase at the school's spring market, and they sold out in 40 minutes.
The sales resulted in the students being able to donate $525 to the Food Bank.
"Thank you to the amazing support of the community," said Ware.
Students Lukas Lypchuk (Grade 1), Dominic P and Riva Holowach (Grade 4s), and Grade 5 students Liam Lypchuk, Keenan Cooper, and Maxine Dahlie, along with Ware, made the cheque presentation to Randel Erbacker and Paul Bielby of the Vernon Salvation Army Tuesday, April 15.
"This is absolutely fantastic," said Erbacker who, along with Bielby, gave the students a tour of the current food bank, and showed them the blue print plans for the Sally Ann's new expanded facility, up beside the Iron Heart Gym on 24th Street, which is slated to open in September.
