Jenna Cocullo, Local Journalism Initiative
Facility staff at St. Clair Catholic District School Board spent the weekend donating non-perishable food items and personal protection equipment (PPE) to the health sector in Chatham-Kent and Sarnia.
In Chatham, the PPE donation was made at the St. Clair College Healthplex and in Sarnia, the Clearwater Arena will be distributing the donations to various health care staff in hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes, home care, hospices and other organizations to assist with urgent needs.
“We are proud to do our part to assist the brave men and women in the health care sector who are on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19. We are in their debt for the service they provide in helping to keep us all safe during this pandemic. Our prayers go out to them and their families,” Deb Crawford, director of education for St. Clair Catholic, said.
St. Clair Catholic School Board, which had just replenished its stockpile of gloves worn by the custodial staff before the schools were closed, gathered 337 boxes totalling 67,000 gloves distributed to the health care sector.
The school board only kept boxes that had already been opened at their 28 locations. Staff also managed to collect around 30 N95 type masks, the kind used in the health care sector, from the Science Departments in the secondary schools.
Non-perishable food items from schools, such as fruit cups, granola bars and rice cakes, were donated to Chatham Outreach for Hunger and the Inn of the Good Shepherd in Sarnia, with schools in smaller districts donating directly to their local food banks.
“We know there are many families who rely on student nutrition programs when students are in school. It’s important that we get whatever food items are currently going un-used in schools into the hands of our community partners who are helping to supply children and families with food,” Crawford said.
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