Once again, DW Poppy Secondary students are taking care of their own this Christmas.
The east Langley school has adopted seven seven families from the community, and donations are being collected from students, staff and community members to provide all the trimmings with the hopes of making Christmas wonderful for these families.
Of those seven families, five are from the DW Poppy school community and two are referred to the school from the Langley Christmas Bureau, said DW Poppy principal George Kozlovic.
“We are collecting food items, toys, gifts and cash that will then be used to purchase food or gift cards,” Kozlovic said.
This isn’t a new development. The school and mainly the Family Management 11/12 class has been overseeing Christmas family hampers for more than 30 years. It’s a tradition that has carried on through several teachers coming and going through the years.
This year’s hampers are being organized by teacher Carrie Fast and her Family Management 11-12 students.
Fast’s class is collecting cash, grocery gift cards, gifts, toys, household and nonperishable food items for the families.
“The teachers have been very gracious in helping to promote our Christmas hampers,” Fast said.
She said on Dec. 19, the students have an opportunity to deliver the Christmas hampers to the two families they are helping through the local Christmas bureau.
“We make that a very special evening,” she noted, adding that it also includes a visit with Santa at the Willowbrook Shopping Centre.
In her past experience delivering the presents and other items to the families, it has been a very rewarding experience.
“The families have been in tears,they are so grateful,” Fast said.
By the time the campaign ends, Fast estimates that the class will have “10 or 11” large boxes full of items to be divvied up amongst the families.
“The generosity of the school is absolutely amazing,” she said.
Also happening the late week before winter break (Dec. 18 to 22), is the school’s Social Justice 12 class is organizing a Fair Trade sale.
Students in the class will be selling Fair Trade goods to raise money for Ten Thousand Villages.
“This is part of their annual Christmas fundraising campaign,” Kozlovic said.
Ten Thousand Villages is a national non-profit organization that creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to markets through long-term, fair trading relationships.
The organization operates a fair trade store on the one-way section of downtown Langley.