Seventy kids in the Elk Valley and Crowsnest Pass will be receiving new backpacks for the upcoming school year, thanks to a generous donation by the Women of Steel.
These brand new backpacks will be stocked full of all the supplies necessary for succeeding in school.
A total of $6000 was raised for this project, and $1000 of this was donated from the Elk Valley Thrift Shop Society.
This was achieved by holding barbecues at the bus stops for workers heading to the mines. Sparwood Overwaitea helped out with food costs, maximizing the amount of money donated back into the community.
Through communication with the Fernie Women’s Resource Centre, the Sparwood Food Bank and schools in the Crowsnest Pass, the Women of Steel find out how many packs they need to fill. Everything is anonymous.
Women of Steel have been doing this for six years, and believe it’s a very important that every child goes to school with the necessary means to learn and succeed in their education.
“Our mandate is to have every kid start school equally. No matter what their background is.”
“When there’s 70 kids that need packs in just this small little area, we fill a need that I think is very important,” said Women of Steel Co-Chair, Sarah Thompson.
“I just like the fact that we’re able to help,” she said. “Give back to the communities, and help the families and kids that need it.”