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A Grade 6 pupil from Woodstock is being hailed for his charitable efforts after collecting more than 2,000 items for his school’s Salvation Army food drive.
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The haul from Ryker Freeman, 11, was the most anyone has ever brought to Central public school’s annual collection drive, said his teacher, Erin Mayberry.
For Ryker, he considers it “important to help people who need the food” that he collected.
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“It makes me feel good,” he said.
With some help from his mother, Ryker asked for donations of food and money from family and friends on social media sites such as Facebook.
“He takes great pride in having to go to Walmart and use the money to buy items for the food drive,” Mayberry said.
Items donated include Mr. Noodles, toothbrushes, shampoo and lots of canned food, Ryker said.
In total, the school on Hunter Street in Woodstock collected 5,039 items for the food bank, Mayberry said, adding she gets “competitive” about collecting items for the drive. “We’ve blown it out of the water” by the response, she said.
Mayberry said she has worked in a lot of low-income schools throughout her career and has seen poverty first-hand in the classroom.
“I see it in the kids that are struggling and they’re hungry,” she said. “This time of the year is so hard for so many people – this is a way we can make everybody’s holiday a little better.”
Collecting donations in her classroom gives Mayberry “that warm fuzzy feeling,” she said.
“It’s what makes my holidays better,” she said.
HRivers@postmedia.com
@HeatheratLFP
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