Before they eat, nine-year-old Colleen Treleaven and her mom usually take a moment to think about where their food comes from. One evening at dinnertime during the last week of November, Colleen learned that Bowen Island's food bank was looking for assistance.
"I remembered that some kids at school might have a hungry tummy," Colleen says.
She came up with an idea of how to help. She drew a picture of a family receiving a gift with the caption: "please give and you will help." Then she taped it to an empty milk jug and gave it to her mother, Janis Treleaven, to take to choir practice. Colleen decided to tag along.
Rev. Shelagh McKinnon is a member of the choir and also helps out with the food bank. "Colleen brought along that jug and stood up in front of 100 strangers. She told us that she thought there might be hungry children sitting beside her who might not have had breakfast and she wouldn't know."
Colleen's little speech moved many members of the choir to make a donation and, over the course of four rehearsals, the jug filled up with coins and bills (there even was a $50 bill in the mix) to a total of $300.
After the last rehearsal, McKinnon took the money to the food bank. "Colleen told us that these are our friends, our neighbours who might be hungry. It is just beautiful when children have that spirit of generosity."
Colleen was pleased by the response of the choir members. "They gave lots of money. I was really glad to help."
