While families wrestle with the new reality of sending their kids back to school amidst the pandemic, parents in northern communities are facing an extra barrier; inflated price-tags on school supplies.
After a viral Tweet showed what $43 would buy for a Nunavut student, a group of Brock students decided to make a difference.
Here’s what $43 of school supplies looks like in #iqaluit
— Pitsiulaaq ❄️ (@pitsiulaaq) September 3, 2020
We passed on the $25 400/loose leaf paper.. pic.twitter.com/Qkle9sde8y
Earlier this week, a shipment of around $700 worth of supplies like notebooks, rulers, pencils and pens, lined paper, feminine hygiene products, and hand soap left Thorold for Nunavut and Arnaqjuaq school, located in Hall Beach.
“It ended up being a lot more than we ever expected. We are quite pleased with it,” said Carina Scott, one of the three behind the initiative.
After calling out to family and friends, the group saw a stream of donations come in, paying for over 250 notebooks, over 150 pencils and pens, 15 stacks of lined paper, almost 70 rulers as well as hand sanitizer and soap to help the schools efforts to prevent COVID-19.
“The situation in northern schools is something that gets ignored by the average person. We have been keeping track of the situation and hope we can give the kids an easier year to get through school,” said Justin Nicholls.
James Head says the fundraiser made them consider the inequality affecting northern communities.
“We take things for granted here to a degree. We don’t know anything different. They are very limited in what they can have.”
While the donations were plentiful, half of the proceeds, $780, covered the shipping to the remote community.
The group says they are hoping to continue to help and say they plan to do something for local schools in the future.
