CrossRoads Church keeping students warm this winter

“What we’re doing right now is we’ve been accepting donations since the spring and I’m in contact with the Community Liaison Workers within the schools and when they know of a family in need, they are providing me with sizes of the children and then we are taking from our stack here and providing those clothes to the children,” Whitaker continued.

“These are families who may be new to Red Deer. Children grow really quickly and what fit a child last year isn’t going to fit this year. Outfitting a child with winter wear can be an expense, so with our economic downturn, there are families who perhaps just this year all of a sudden, they’re finding it a bit more of a challenge.”

She also points out that teachers are doing more than just teaching these days.

“They are really looking after kids in a variety of ways that they weren’t perhaps in years past, so this helps them to do their work and focus on education when the other needs that the children have are being taken care of.”

Donation bins, one for food and one for clothing, are set up in the main foyer of the CrossRoads Church if you would like to help. Whitaker says however, to ensure your clothing donation is still in good enough condition to use, with food donations being geared towards school breakfast programs.

“Coats, snow pants, boots, hats and mitts and also skates, because schools have skating programs now and the children are bringing their skates from home and there are children who do not own their own skates, so then they’re not able to participate or they have to share,” she added.

“We as a church care about our city and all its citizens – these people are our neighbours. That’s why we are doing this.”

Whitaker says the initiative between CrossRoads Church and Red Deer Public Schools will continue throughout the school year.

by Sheldon Spackman

CrossRoads Church keeping students warm this winter

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