Junior high students at St. John Paul II Collegiate in Okotoks are putting their citizenship skills to work by filling backpacks for the less fortunate this holiday season.
Dating back two decades, the program sees the entire school community come together to donate all manner of goods and then, in assembly line fashion, fill backpacks specific to ages and genders.
“A lot of the times they want to be involved, they just don’t know how, so we’re giving them that outlet to get involved and feeling that empowerment,” said Heather Scott, who is organizing the initiative with fellow teacher Meaghan Zolpis.
Scott said the annual undertaking not only shows students that their efforts can make a difference in their own community, but it also allows them to see the larger picture.
“This service project gets them to care about the world around them,” added Zolpis.
The annual program typically fills 500 to 600 backpacks, but organizers expect they might exceed 800 this year due to the toll the cost-of-living crisis is having on many families.
Scott said it’s awesome to see students embrace the program and get excited to see the pile of donated items at the front of the classroom grow every day.
“They've been crushing it this year,” she said of her class.
Once all the donations — which range from gifts and snacks to cold weather gear and toiletries — have come in, then staff and students are tasked with sorting it all before filling the backpacks according to age and gender.
Zolpis said she’s heartened by the number of students who have volunteered to be involved in that aspect of the program, which she added is just as valuable as bringing in donations.
An army of elves will start that process this week in preparation for distribution day on Dec. 16, which will see backpacks loaded on buses and taken to drop off points in various Foothills communities in conjunction with the Magic of Christmas.
The teachers say the need might be hidden in Okotoks and other Foothills towns, but it definitely exists.
“You can’t deny it’s there, the numbers say that,” said Scott. “To see your help go directly back into your community is super empowering.”
“For some families, it might be the only gift they receive or the only gifts they’re able to give their children,” added Zolpis.
Proceeds from the school’s annual staff versus students hockey game, which took place at Centennial Arenas last Friday, also support the backpack program.
