A group of local students are doing what they can to ensure others don’t go hungry at school.
Students with the Me to We program at Orillia Secondary School (OSS) get together every week to prepare lunches and deliver them to about 70 elementary school students in the area.
The idea was inspired by OSS student Ethan Odlozinski’s mother. His family had been providing sandwiches for about 20 students at Lions Oval Public School. Odlozinski, 17, saw the opportunity to make a greater impact, so he made a pitch to his school’s Me to We group.
“We were able to expand it from one school to three,” he said.
The program now benefits students at Orchard Park Public School and Severn Shores Public School, in addition to Lions Oval. All three are feeder schools for OSS.
It’s become a true community effort. The students secured a $1,500 grant from United Way Simcoe Muskoka’s Youth United program. Also pitching in are Zehrs, which donates granola bars and bananas, and Orillia Bakery and Deli, which donates buns and sells meat and cheese at a discounted price.
“Without all of them, the program would not run,” Odlozinski said.
He and fellow students get together every Monday to prepare the lunches, and it’s the students who deliver them on Tuesdays.
Staff at the elementary schools “always say it’s a good program and a lot of the kids rely on it,” he said.
Knowing there is a demand for the program motivates Amy Hagman to get involved.
“We just feel better knowing that they can eat lunch,” said the 15-year-old OSS student. “It’s sad (that it's needed). My dad’s a teacher and he sees it first-hand.”
“It’s a good thing to do,” added student Calvin Kudar. “It’s tough to get through the school day if you just have a bag of chips and a pop for lunch, or nothing.”
For OSS Me to We staff advisers Jennifer Grace and Sylvia Wylie, it’s gratifying to see students helping out their younger peers.
“It’s awesome that kids care so much about community,” Grace said.
“They come up with these initiatives, and that’s the ultimate goal (of Me to We),” added Wylie.
The students will be looking at grant opportunities to continue the program in the next school year. In the meantime, the school welcomes donations to the Me to We program, which supports causes locally and globally.
Anyone interested in contributing can contact Grace or Wylie by calling OSS at 705-329-4537.