THUNDER BAY -- For a Grade 5 student, giving back to the community is just the right thing to do.
McKellar Park student Phoebe Shaw joined 23 of her peers Thursday to prepare soup and sandwiches for the Shelter House, the SOS Team and Grace Place.
“I learned that across the region there’s many people who can’t afford food or aren’t very healthy and all this food would really help the people across the region,” Shaw said.
Spending the morning preparing food made Shaw feel grateful for everything she has.
“Instead of wanting more things, I just think, ‘I don’t need it because some people don’t have what I have.’”
She helped prepare tuna sandwiches by cutting up celery and pickles as well as chopping up some potatoes and carrots for the soup.
Shaw said she enjoyed preparing food for the less fortunate and hopes someday she can start a charity.
RFDA food service manager Kelsey Agnew said there’s an abundance of learning that takes place in the kitchen.
“There's so much learning that can happen in a kichen. Not just learning about vegetables but experiencing success, working together as a group, building self-confidence, having happy memories in a kitchen and around food, which for me I think is all very important,” Agnew said.
Throughout the morning, the students were taught health and safety lessons in the kitchen as they learned how to use a knife safely and how to compost.
“My biggest hope is that they realize how much fun it is to cook. If they enjoy cooking it’s an activity that they can do with their friends and family.”