Conestoga news

January 30, 2017 7:45 AM

Students support expansion of food donation program

Students in Conestoga’s Renovation Technician program will fulfill their third request for food donation bins in early February. Students initially constructed bins for fire halls and grocery stores across the region for the launch of Fire to Food Bank in 2015 and then made additional bins for the Police to Food Bank program that launched last spring.

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Conestoga's Renovation Technician students have been constructing food donation bins for the region since 2015.

Fire to Food Bank was initiated to support the Waterloo Region Food Bank; students constructed 15 food donation bins for the program, which encourages the public to drop off food donations throughout the year.

Following a challenge from Chief Richard Hepditch of the Waterloo Fire Department encouraging other public safety agencies to initiate similar programs, Waterloo Regional Police Services Chief Bryan Larkin announced the launch of Police to Food Bank at a community event last May. Conestoga students supplied another eight bins for that program.

“We are pleased that we can participate in these initiatives and support the region’s efforts to provide meals to families in need year round,” said faculty member Doug Lockston. “Students volunteer their time and work as a team to construct the bins and they’re happy to do it knowing they’re helping the community.”

Lockston said students are working to fulfill the latest request for additional fire hall bins and expect to deliver them in February. Materials for the project were donated by Swanson Home Hardware.

The Waterloo Region Food Bank estimates that more than 10,000 men, women and children seek assistance from a food program in Waterloo Region each month.

Conestoga’s 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 the planning stages to completion.

For more information, visit the program’s website