Giant Tiger donates winter gear to HMK School
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- Published on Thursday, March 2, 2017
By Miranda Leybourne
The Neepawa Banner
While it seems spring is in the air already in Manitoba, kids are still being bundled up with hats, mittens and scarves before heading off to school, in case a cold snap is in store weather-wise for the region.
At the beginning of February, Giant Tiger in Neepawa donated these essential winter items to Hazel M. Kellington (HMK) Elementary School to help meet the need for the school to have extra winter items on hand.
Giant Tiger manager Curtis Keber says it was a good way to get rid of excess stock, while giving back to the community.
“We were cleaning out at the end of the year and we didn’t want to carry any of that stuff over, so we figured, ‘who could use it the most?’” he explains. “We did the same thing in Brandon -- we gave away all of our stuff that was end of season.”
HMK principal Allen Hanke says the donation was very welcome at the school, since children sometimes forget to bring proper winter gear to school or end up losing some important pieces.
“Kids are kids, and they’re going to forget stuff, so we just try to make sure we have a little supply here at the office for those that need them so they’re not cold,” Hanke says.
It seems that the generous donation Giant Tiger made fits in well with Neepawa’s tradition of helping out the school.
“People are generous, and they ask if there’s a need and they try to help out where they can,” Hanke explains. “We’ve had different grandmas that have wanted to help. They’ll come by and they’ve knit a bunch of toques and mitts, and they ask if we could use them.”
Hanke says this generous spirit carries on from donations to parents and community members volunteering their time and skills to help the school, as well.
“People are pretty willing to help out with things,” he attests. “I’m very pleased with the support we get from parents. Everyone is busy -- adults are busy, kids are busy, but when the school puts the call out, we are very pleased with the response we get. Parents are very willing to help out. I think they want to be part of their kids’ education and feel like they’re helping out as best they can. That’s just kind of small town living.”
A list of volunteer opportunities are published in the school newsletter throughout the year. Hanke says volunteers are always welcome to help out with things like vision screening, hot dog days, at the library and more.
