Students in Conestoga’s Renovation Technician program received thanks from Waterloo Fire Rescue Chief Richard Hepditch on September 22 during a fundraising event to support the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.
The Food Bank of Waterloo Region held its second annual “Waffles in the Warehouse” event on September 22 to mark Hunger Awareness Week and kick off the fall food drive. Students in Conestoga’s Renovation Technician program built 15 food collection bins to support the drive.
The event, called Waffles in the Warehouse, provided breakfast for more than 100 guests who were on hand to recognize Hunger Awareness Week and kick start the food bank’s fall food drive. In the coming weeks, food and funding will be needed to provide 435,000 meals to individuals and families in the region.
To aid with the drive, Hepditch - a graduate of Conestoga’s Paramedic program and a 2011 Alumnus of Distinction - announced a new initiative called Fire to Food Bank 365, which will encourage the community to drop food donations off at fire halls throughout the year. “Filling a donation bag once year isn’t enough,” he shared with the audience. “It doesn’t feed a community.”
To support this initiative, students in Conestoga’s Renovation Technician program, led by faculty member Doug Lockston, constructed 15 food collection bins. The bins, which were designed with wheels for ease of use, will be placed in local grocery stores and fire halls to collect food donations. Hepditch thanked Conestoga for the construction of the bins and acknowledged Swanson’s Home Hardware for donating materials.
This partnership between Waterloo Fire Rescue and the food bank is just one of many projects for Conestoga’s Renovation Technician students. Over the last eight years, students in the program have applied their skills and expertise to support more than 15 local non-profit organizations.
The Renovation Technician two-year diploma program prepares students to enter into a career in the residential and light commercial construction sector. Students learn how to apply their technical skills to solve a number of construction and renovation challenges. The program incorporates all aspects of construction from foundations to framing and finishing.
For more information, visit the program’s website