With dry-grad events cancelled due to COVID-19, the graduating class of Elgin Park Secondary made a $1,800 donation to the South Surrey/White Rock Food Bank.
Students raised the money by creating and selling ‘Dine Out on the Peninsula’ coupon books, which featured local businesses and restaurants.
SEE ALSO: Elgin Park Secondary dry-grad fundraisers planned
Dry-grad parent committee member Maureen Beston said restaurants were able to participate for free if they provided a coupon offer. The group printed some 500 books with the initial goal of giving $2 from every sale to the food bank.
“The idea was to hopefully have $1,000 to give to the food bank, and we sold most of them,” Beston said. “But we’re topping it up this year to give them a $1,800 donation.”
Students started selling the books in December and were close to selling out before the COVID-19 pandemic set in.
“The students and parents are very proud to be making this donation during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, knowing many families are struggling in many ways, food on the table should not be one of them,” Beston said.
A group students from the graduating class made a physically-distanced cheque presentation to food bank manager Jaye Murray last week.
Beston said the class of 2020 is faced with their own challenges and disappointments as they finish off their secondary education online and were forced to cancel graduation events.
However, Beston said, the school will be hosting a “virtual commencement,” planned for June 17, that will have small batches of grads “walk the stage” for their diploma during an eight-hour event.
Instead of a dry-grad party, Beston said each grad is to receive a certificate to a restaurant to celebrate graduation with their family or friends.
aaron.hinks@peacearchnews.com
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