MOUNT FOREST – The Mount Forest Leos will be at Foodland here from 11am until 7pm on Aug. 16, collecting donations to help ensure kids in the community have enough snacks for their school lunches.
Their goal is to collect enough back-to-school snacks to fill an entire school bus.
The snacks will then be distributed to families in need by the local food bank, the Mount Forest Community Pantry.
The Leos will be accepting food donations as well as monetary donations (cash, card, cheque or e-transfer) that will be used to purchase school snacks.
Leos are the youth version of Lions, and are between 12 and 18 years old.
Abby Geiger is 15 years old and the president of the Mount Forest Leos.
Geiger has been a Leo for about a year, and said she got involved because she likes volunteering and helping people.
The group plans community events such as dances and barbecues and supports the Lions with initiatives such as their bottle drives.
“It’s kids helping kids,” said Lion and Leo leader Kelly Dimick.
She said she joined the Lions about five years ago because she wanted to be part of something bigger than herself. But when it comes to the Leos, she said it’s the kids who are in control.
“As much as adults are involved, this is entirely up to the kids how they want to raise money and where they want to donate it,” Dimick said.
“All we do is guide them … the kids decide what actually happens.”
The Leos are including a barbecue in their school snack fundraiser – they will be selling hotdogs, hamburgers, pop and chips by donation to the drive.
Dimick expressed appreciation to Cook Bus Lines and Mount Forest Foodland owner Andy Kelly for supporting the fundraiser.
Kelly said he teamed up with the Leos for the snack drive because its “something good for the community.”
He said ideal lunch snacks to donate include granola bars, apple sauce, fruit snacks, pudding cups, juice boxes, and bakery items – “school safe snacks,” he added, which means they must be nut-free.
Dimick said Kelly is “always willing to jump on board” with any initiative presented to him.
Dimick has “some interesting ideas,” Kelly said with a laugh, but “we haven’t said no to anything yet.”
