Caring pupils showed plenty of ‘sole’ to help struggling families in their community. Youngsters at Bentilee’s Discovery Academy brought in donations for a local food bank in turn for being able to decide what footwear they wanted to put on.
The initiative took place across two days and saw a raft of items which were donated to the food bank at St Stephen’s Church on Dawlish Drive. And organisers say they cater to more than 23 families on a weekly basis.
Vivienne Heilbran, an organiser at the food bank, said: “I am overwhelmed at the generosity of the students and that they thought of us. We have over 23 families who need us on a weekly basis, as well as those who drop in from time to time throughout the week because they have nothing.
“The generosity of the community is amazing and I can’t thank them enough.”
The food bank – which will mark its 9th birthday in April – was started up as a temporary measure back in 2014 to address the needs at the time. However it has continued to run as families grapple with the cost of living crisis.
Leaders at the school say the academy is a part of the community. Acting principal Jayne Schofield said: “We aren’t just the school at the top of the hill, we are part of the community and we will ensure we repeat this on a half-termly basis so that we can help those families in need.”
Donna Sherwin, a child protection officer at the school, said: “Seeing the emotion from Vivienne and the team at St Stephen’s shows our families involvement really makes a difference – and wearing my comfy slippers for two days has been an added bonus!”