Students aiding students in hard times

As communities across the land deal with an ever-increasing affordability crisis, Ontario’s Catholic school boards are doing what they can to combat financial distress within their communities.

The schools are where the crisis is often at the forefront, as staff see students arriving at school hungry, in clothing not appropriate for the season and more. So on this year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, York Catholic District School Board students engaged in a new fundraiser, with students donating a loonie or toonie to help those in financial distress in exchange for a non-uniform “civies day.” (Schools without uniforms will organize similar initiatives).

“It first started when the attendance counsellors noticed that there were issues with the attendance of certain students. When they got in contact with families to ask about what was going on, there was a pattern of students’ families who were worrying about external factors such as putting food on the table or coming to school through bus fair prices,” said Deepta Yelamanchi, a Grade 12 student at Father Michael McGivney Academy and fundraising coordinator of the student government.

Ethan Luvithas, a fellow Grade 12 student and executive of the student leadership council at McGivney, explained that the funds will go towards bus fares, meals and clothing for students in financial distress.

He mentioned Canada’s affordability crisis and how he and Yelamanchi knew many of their peers were struggling financially, but the extent of the crisis came as a shock to some — a sobering reality of what life for many families looks like, regardless of locale.

“People think that York Region is this affluent society where people are doing well and that it is only people in Third World countries who are poor and who need money. We have raised money for people elsewhere, but there are people in our own neighbourhoods who are suffering and that need help,” said Father McGivney principal Camille Robinson. “It is the families within our own communities and schools ... that also need our help.”

A look at Food Banks Canada’s 2024 Poverty Report Card shows that almost 50 per cent of Canadians feel financially worse off compared to last year. In addition, 25 per cent of Canadians are experiencing food insecurity, up from 11.6 per cent in 2018 and 9.6 per cent in 2017. Across the country, food banks have also seen a 50-per-cent increase in visits since 2021.

Other school boards are taking similar steps. Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board students, families and staff engage in fundraising for ShareLife, which, in turn, helps fund social service agencies in the Archdiocese of Toronto such as Catholic Family Services of Peel-Dufferin and provides food security grants.

According to Bruce Campbell, general manager of communications and community relations for the board, its Social Work Department maintains an “emergency fund” sourced from donations to help meet the needs of families in urgent need who have exhausted other available options.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board has its own Student Nutrition Programs which are run by its official charity, the Angel Foundation for Learning. Established in 1987 and the only charity dedicated solely to serving students across the TCDSB who experience social and financial hardship, the 76 programs operated in 160 schools were able to feed more than 63,000 students daily last year.

With different school boards across the province doing their part toward providing individualized care to certain areas of need, Robinson reiterates the common message of caring for one’s neighbour which is a central component of the Catholic faith.

“The main thing is that we are doing the Christ-like thing by giving back and serving our brothers or sisters and our families who are in need. As Catholics and people of shared faith and values, we are called to be the hands and the feet of Christ in the world,” she said.