The Grade 5 and 6 students at St. Martin's School have been researching Childhood Poverty in Alberta and have determined that it is a problem that they were interested in addressing. Through their research, they found out that 10-20% of students in Alberta live below the poverty line. They did some calculations and figured out that based on these statistics, anywhere between 30 and 60 students at our school could be affected. It really hit home when they visualized 1 or 2 entire classes in our school could face life without the basic necessities (food and clothing) needed to get by.
The solution that the students came up with is a FREE STORE. The idea of the FREE STORE is that is a student or family is in need of clothing, shoe, outerwear, toiletries or food, they can come to the store and get the items that they need at no cost to them. Any teacher, support staff or administrator can take the student to the store and help them shop.
Students have volunteered to clean the space and set up the store. They spent time sorting, folding and hanging clothing and clearing out clutter in the mezzanine where the FREE store is located. They will also be volunteering their time to restock shelves and keep the store clean. The FREE Store is now open for business!
Of course, the FREE store will be running on a zero budget so it will rely on the generosity of donations from our community. The store will be stocking new and gently used clothing for children, both boys and girls ages 5 to 12 (sizes small , medium, large and extra large), new toiletry times (soap, shampoo, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc) and non-perishable food items (cereal, soups, granola bars, juices, etc). If you are able to donate items to the store, please bring them to the school.
To watch our video about the FREE Store, please visit this link: https://youtu.be/LLPCMNgTfxQ
Video: https://youtu.be/LLPCMNgTfxQ
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