Freeway Park Primary learners celebrate Arbor Week differently

Food items such as noodles, tomato sauce, cheese spread, tinned food and toiletries were donated by the learners.

Freeway Park Primary School learners hold high some of the donated food items for the school's feeding scheme. With them is Nobuhle Mkhwanazi (Smiley Kidz feeding scheme worker).

Learners of Freeway Park Primary School decided to do something different this year in commemoration of Arbor Week, celebrated annually from September 1 to 7.

Arbor Week calls for South Africans to plant indigenous trees as a practical and symbolic gesture of sustainable environmental management.

Instead of planting a tree at the school, they decided to each bring food items in support of the school’s Smiley Kidz Feeding Scheme. When the Advertiser visited the school on September 2, the school hall was overflowing with food items such as noodles, tomato sauce, cheese spread, tinned food and toiletries.

Pointing at some of the donated items is Grade Six learner Boitumelo Lepadima.

According to finance officer Gail Winn, learners were allowed to wear civvies and contribute towards the Smiley Kidz Feeding Scheme.

“The donated food items will be used to feed our needy children here at school. We are also planning to put together a care package for the beneficiaries to cover them during the holidays because we don’t know the situations they live under at home.”

Winn explained that when the year started they had only 13 beneficiaries but about 50 more children joined due to the effects of the pandemic.

She thanked parents and learners their continued support.