Students from Sioux Lookout First Nations to get thousands of donated supplies

Some First Nation high school students leaving their fly-in communities to head to Thunder Bay, Ont., for classes this fall will have one less thing to worry about — school supplies.

Robin Hood Army Canada (RHAC), an organization that works to alleviate homelessness and food insecurity in Ontario, is donating school and hygiene items for students at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School.

The private high school hosts students from different Sioux Lookout District First Nations, according to Northern Nishnawbe Education Council. 

This year, RHAC, with help from multiple organizations — including Rotary Club of Pickering and Rotary HIP (Honouring Indigenous Peoples) — were able to donate around 12,000 items to help 130 students.

Here's the list of other individuals and organizations involved in the donations work:

• Royal Canadian Legion 606.
• Ahmadiyya Muslims of Durham.
• Indo-Canadian Cultural Association of Durham.
• Devi Mandir/Trustee: Bal Rampersad.
• Ajax-Pickering Italian Social Club 
• Durham Tamils Association.
• Rotary Club of Pickering.

Rotary HIP is organizing shipping the items through Trucks for Change, a network of trucking companies and industry suppliers.

Donors get generous

Lori Brazier, a board member and operations lead with RHAC, said it had put out a call to the community and volunteers, as well as on social media, and "the donations began arriving."

Brazier said RHAC usually prepares a welcome box or care package that includes each item requested by the school. But this year, because so many organizations helped bring in items, the organization had to group all the items and box them instead.

She noted it's never too late to keep donating.

"The needs are never just one time, so in particular, we were only able to get a handful of toques for the students. We couldn't get all of those. They're not out in stores yet or easily accessible for people to buy and donate."

Over the next couple of months, Brazier said, they will seek out more donations for distribution.