Students from the Saanich Peninsula spent their Saturday caroling at grocery stores in Sidney to raise food and funds for the Lions Food Bank.
Mackenzie Clark, a Grade 9 student at Stelly’s Secondary, has been organizing the initiative for five years. This year she was joined by friends and family and together the group raised a sizable donation for the food bank.
“I started (caroling for the food bank) when I was in Grade 4 because I thought that everyone deserves a Christmas dinner,” explained Clark. “This year we sang in front of Thrifty Foods and Safeway in Sidney for two hours at each store and we raised $350 and lots of food for the Sidney Lions Food Bank.”
Clark added that in the past the group has raised as much as $650 but “we did pretty well for such a cold windy day this year.” Clark’s mother, Christine Spencer said she is proud of the initiative her daughter takes to help others.
“It’s amazing to see kids her age organizing and raising money for a cause,” she said. “Mackenzie has always enjoyed helping others.”
Clark said the group couldn’t keep doing without the support of the community.