The YWCA’s new cold weather shelter is now open. Developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stepping Stones Shelter – at the grandstand at the Prince Albert Exhibition grounds – has twice as many beds as the previous winter shelter. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

Community Building

P.A. and area school class helps new shelter

Nov 24, 2020 | 10:01 AM

The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled us to ensure much of our human interaction is done at a distance, but that doesn’t mean young people can’t be engaged in important social justice matters.

That’s why the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division’s Distance Learning Centre is getting involved in the new YWCA Stepping Stones cold weather shelter in Prince Albert.

The Grade 5/6 class is hosting an event called, Caring from a Distance, with a call for the public to donate items in need this evening and Thursday.

“Even though we’re an online school we are looking to support our community and to find ways to engage our students and families in learning,” Distance Learning Centre principal Carrie Grant-Walker told paNOW. “We talk about empathy and ways to give back, and this is one way we thought we could bring that to our school as well.”

The idea for the event came out of an online class where students discussed sharing how they had helped out their neighbours by shovelling after the recent big snowstorm. This sparked a discussion about how good it feels inside to help others.

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Grant-Walker explained a truck and trailer has been donated by Flamans, and the school community as well as the general public is encouraged to donate items such as individually packaged food items, toques, gloves, mitts, blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste and socks.

They will collect these in the north parking lot at Carlton High School Nov. 24 and Nov. 26 from 6-8 p.m. The collection will be done with proper COVID protocols: it’ll be a drive-thru and those bringing donations will place them in the trailer on site.

The trailer will then be taken to the shelter on Friday for the YWCA to distribute the items.

“We want to build a community from a distance,” teacher Kimberly Jordan said. “We still are a classroom and we just want to bring people together to help others.”

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow