It is the season of giving and for students and staff at Delta Secondary, it signals the start of a tradition that has been going strong for more than 20 years - the collection of food items, toiletries and gift cards for local families in need.
“Three years ago, we named this initiative the 20 Days of Giving Campaign,” said social studies teacher Colleen Blatz, who has been involved in organizing the annual fundraiser since 1999.
This year’s campaign ran from Nov. 15 to Dec. 2, and the goal was to surpass last year’s total of $17,000.
“In total, we raised $19,345 including food items, toiletries, and gift cards. We were able to create 26 hampers for local families in the Ladner community and make a positive difference this holiday season because of the generous donations by students, staff and our community members,” said Blatz. “I would like to thank everyone for their support of this project. It truly takes a village to make this happen.”
The Interact Club, led by teacher Carla Day, organized the food and donation drive thru event on Nov. 29.
Student government, led by teacher Paige Collings, was responsible for the promotion, collection and tallying of food items, while social studies teacher Graham Harkley looked after cash donations and the total contributions of this year’s campaign.
“Thank you to our Pacer students and staff and our community for their efforts this year,” said principal John Pavao. “We showed our Pacer pride and why we are #Ladnerstrong in breaking last year's total and helping out so many local families.
“A special thanks to Colleen Blatz for all the extra hours she put in to organize and assemble the hampers. This year's campaign would not be the success it was without her leadership, commitment and work to ensure local families are cared for and have something special for the holiday season.”
