This past Halloween was an amazing success for me and my friends, Lauryn, Melody, Maddie, Sanjana, and Emily. We collected so many canned goods to donate to the Markham Food Bank. A week before Halloween, me and one of my friends distributed little papers in my neighbours’ mailboxes to notify them that we would be coming around on Halloween to collect canned goods. It was actually more exciting and fun this year than past Halloweens because all of us knew we were making a difference in our community. Some people actually had whole bags ready for us by their doorstep.

By the end of the night, we had collected an astonishing total of 151 cans of food! 

After, we brought all our food to the Markham Food Bank and they were overjoyed! The people there were so nice to us and even taught us a bit of how the Markham Food Bank works. Actually, all the staff at the food bank are volunteers who are dedicating their time to improving the lives of others who are less fortunate in there community. They told me that the people that visit the food bank are usually not homeless people, but ordinary people that are having trouble making ends meet. Gladys is the founder of the Markham Food Bank and she started it approximately 30 years ago and comes to work every single day! She is so inspiring because she is so committed to helping people in need.  She actually gave us a certificate of appreciation to recognize what we did to help people in our community.

This campaign made me realize that not everybody is as fortunate as me and many people rely on food banks for their three meals a day.

So now, I challenge YOU to take action to improve the lives of people in your community. This holiday season be on the lookout for food bank drop-offs in your community to make a contribution.

Thanks for joining me on my journey to change the world!

–Diviya