By Bryan Eneas

Won-Ska hamper program growing bigger and better

Dec 21, 2017 | 4:00 PM

The staff of the Won-Ska Cultural School and the Prince Albert Outreach Program have been looking forward to the winter break – and not just for holidays.

Students of Won-Ska took home hampers packed with food and goodies prior to taking off for two weeks of holidays.

Rhonda Durand, the executive director of both programs, said sending students home at Christmas time with food was something staff and members of the Prince Albert Police Service recognized as an important goal.

“Often they return to homes that were at times very poverty stricken,” Durand said. “In order to alleviate some of that for the kids over the two week Christmas break… these hampers are hopefully going to help these homes and these families.”

She said in some cases the hamper is used to negotiate a place to stay for some of the more transient students. Following the hamper donations last year, students returned and said if it wasn’t for the food they received, some of them might not have had a place to stay.

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The second year of the hamper program brought about a few positive changes. This year, students were kept in the loop about the program; last year it was a surprise. Durand said students have been making cookies and other fresh baked goods for the last month and a half leading up to the donations.

Last year, roughly 75 hampers were delivered to students and their families; this year, 100 hampers were donated. Durand said any hampers students don’t end up taking home are delivered around the community through the Prince Albert Outreach Program.

Durand said she’s already looking forward to next year’s hamper donations; the school is always looking for ways to improve on programming such as this. 

She said this year’s donation was made possible with the support of two major sponsors, Safeway and Leon’s. The corporate partnerships helped expand not only the hamper program but also the outreach work done at the building.

A longstanding partnership between Won-Ska Cultural School and the Prince Albert Police Service also exists. Officers participate in school programing and act as relationship builders by providing positive interactions with students according to Police Chief Troy Cooper.

Cooper said both he and service members saw a great value in sending kids home with food for the Christmas break.

Cooper said through the school, kids are able to provide and support their families in some way.

“We just think that the school itself is a really great option for a lot of children in our community, and we’re really happy to be able to contribute towards the school,” Cooper said.

Warrior Tracks drum groupa @ Won ska Cultural School #Christmas celebrations. #wonska #princealbert #sk #indigenous #drum #drummers @princealbertnow pic.twitter.com/tWmCtGQiDP

— Bryan Eneas (@BryanEneas) December 21, 2017

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas