Cyclone Gabrielle: Dannevirke High sudents’ inspiring efforts to help

Vicky Jackson (back left) at Dannevirke High School with her students. Photo / Leanne Warr

A group of Dannevirke High students are doing their bit for those impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle by holding a food drive.

“What we’re doing here is we’re providing what we can do as student advocates for victims of [Cyclone Gabrielle],” one student said.

The students, all part of the student council, have been collecting non-perishable food items, which are then taken to Tararua District Council to be distributed.

They will keep the food drive going until early next week.

Teacher Vicky Jackson said the student council hadn’t even had its first meeting when the group decided what they were going to do to help.

She said they’d got together on Monday morning to discuss the plan.

“By Tuesday morning, they were collecting and the cupboards were getting full.”

They had already collected tins of food, packets of pasta and soups, but it wasn’t just food items they were collecting.

Cans with food of all kinds have been collected. Photo / Leanne Warr

Jackson said one senior girl had talked to another teacher and suggested that since the girls were given free sanitary products, perhaps the school could donate some of them.

“[They’ve been] completely thinking outside the square in terms of those needs that people might not think about.”

Even nappies and batteries were considered, with the students thinking that if they could get enough money donated, they could purchase those items.

While some of the students did have friends or relatives who lived in the communities currently still dealing with the aftermath of the cyclone, this was a way they could help “without necessarily having to go get a shovel”, Jackson said.

She said the student council was “quite cool” as they were always looking for ways they could help with whatever was needed, whether that was on a local, national or international level.

Last year, they focused on Ukraine and Tonga, as well as an anti-bullying campaign.

“I’m very proud to have such a cool group of people,” Jackson said.

Inspired by the students’ efforts, the school was also looking at what it could do to help, with one idea being a dinner where people in the community could buy tickets.

Staff would be donating their time to cook the dinner and the school would also provide support.

The school was not the only one doing a food drive, with the council service centres and libraries being drop-off points for donations.

Alice Leadbetter has been helping out with sorting the food items collected in the food drive. Photo / Leanne Warr

The response to the drive so far had been overwhelming.

A council spokesman said staff had received many generous food donations which were used to prepare food parcels for those in need.

“We would like to thank everybody that has donated food items so far.”

People in the community could also donate to the Mayoral Relief Fund, the details of which can be found either on the council’s Facebook page or on the council website.