YOU THINK Were Closer Than J U N I O R K I N D E R G A R T E N A N D M O N T E S S O R I T O G R A D E 1 2 w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , N ov em be r 2 6, 2 01 0 1 8 By Victoria Winslow GRADE 6, NEW CENTRAL P. S. Did you go trick-or-treating on Oct. 31?Have you heard of Halloween for Hunger? Will you be enjoying a nice holiday dinner at the upcoming holidays? Many children are not as fortunate because they dont even have money to buy food. Instead they need to go to their local food bank and get their groceries there. Did you know that local food banks in Canada assist- ed approximately 800,000 people in March 2009? Were you also aware that food banks served a total of 3,252,134 meals in March 2009? Finally, did you know there are 884 food banks in Canada, and 2,906 affiliated Students help to fill empty tummies agencies. Having a full stomach is more important than going out and get- ting candy. Free the Children started this campaign to encourage youths to help their own community by col- lecting non-perishable food items and donating them to their local food bank. This year New Central Public School made a difference on Halloween. Our Halloween for Hunger ran from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31. The purpose was to show the stu- dents how they can do something fun and help children who are not as fortunate as themselves. Our school collected 1,000 non- perishable food items. Considering our school only has 150 students this was quite an achievement. It was decided to donate to our local Salvation Army Food bank as we had previously collected for the Fareshare food bank at Thanksgiving. Every student at our school received a flyer to let their neigh- bours and friends know about the food drive and that they would be collecting non-perishable food items while they were trick-or-treating. By passing this message along to others or by just bringing in one can, you can make a difference. Even a little means a lot. By donating, you show others that you care. New Central students cared so much about this event and it was such a success that we have begun planning for next year. Our goal will be even higher. As an addition to the Halloween for Hunger campaign, magician, activist, and Free the Children speaker, Scott Hammell, stayed in a Plexiglas case in front of Union Station for five days. He hoped the public would make him disappear by bringing in lots of non-perishable food items and piling them up around him making him disappear. Halloween for Hunger is one project that helps people have a nice and healthy meal. If you have any questions or if you want to know more about Halloween for Hunger, visit www.freethechildren.com. Now that the winter holidays are approaching, the same need still exists. Perhaps you could follow the lead of the students at New Central who shared they care, and find your own way to do the same. WOCGIFT10 name address city phone email cheque money order VISA mastercard AMEX card # name on card check if you do not want to receive promotions or offers from us postal code exp province name address city phone email postal code province recipients information Either visit our website at www.westofthecity.com or fill in your information below and send it to us at: Metroland Media Group PO Box 819 Stn Main Markham ON L3P 8L3 Give the this year! Perfect Gift Featuring Home and garden, dr, health and beauty, fashion, automotive, travel, art, entertainment, food, wine and seasonal topics plus our popular In the Crowd section. 1year $2995 2year $5495 3year $7995 6 ISSUES ANNUALLY Either visit our website at www.westofthecity.com or fill in your information below and send it to us at: Metroland Media Group PO Box 819 Stn Main, Markham ON L3P 8L3