Yarrawonga College P-12 VCE students presented cheques to local organisations after a hugely sucessful fundraiser, #everyone needs a hand.
As the school year draws to a close for another group of senior students, it was time for Yarrawonga P-12 to celebrate the achievements of one special group and to share the results of their work in a project focussed on a community issue.
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The students chose homelessness and looked at the potential solutions to housing pressures.
First, they focussed on supporting local homeless friends, and created a fundraiser called #everyone needs a hand.
The college community was invited to buy one of their ‘hands’ for either $2 or $5 and display it in the senior study centre.
Their first goal was to sell more than last year’s total of 224 hands, which they smashed, with 403 hands sold.
Earlier this month they travelled to Melbourne where they worked with The Big Umbrella, a Melbourne-based charity that tackles food insecurity, reduces waste and responds when disaster strikes.
They prepared meals for more than 400 people, not just the homeless, who they call their “friends on the street”, but the food insecure as well.
At a school assembly recently, Jaxon and Chloe told how enough food to fill the MCG was rescued from supermarkets and other organisations and would have otherwise ended up in landfill.
Jaxon and Chloe with Mr Gillies, share their experiences working alongside The Big Umbrella at assembly.
One of just three Victorian schools selected to volunteer, they worked with The Big Umbrella from 6.30am preparing meals in Brunswick, then caught a train to Federation Square where they served meals, then back to Brunswick to clean up.
Later, teacher Jim Gillies received a letter from the organisation expressing their gratitude.
“It was a pleasure to meet (the students), they were exemplary young people,” the letter read.
“We were incredibly impressed by everyone's enthusiasm and dedication to the ‘cooking with love and serving with kindness’ theme.
“Your team truly embodied this spirit throughout the session.”
The assembly also wrapped up the fundraiser with cheques donated to several worthy organisations.
Donations of $600 were presented to Yarrawonga Mulwala Community and Learning Centre, Moira Foodshare, Energy Breakthrough Team, Friends in Common, Helping Hands, and Yarrawonga SES.
