Staff
For the sixth consecutive year a local pharmacy is offering less-fortune school-aged children the opportunity to start the new school term with all the tools they need through the public’s generousity and the Kitz 4 Kidz program.
“The Kitz for Kidz Program has been going for five years now and it’s something that was started by our head office,” said manager Leanne Coleman of Rimbey Value Drug Mart. “The program collects school items that are needed in each individual community. What we’ve done is put kits together and people can purchase the kits for $5 and it contains basic school supplies. When they do that, they get the supplies at cost so they’re getting a really good deal for $5.”
Coleman said all the kits purchased stay in the local area and will be distributed through Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) to needy students in Rimbey, Bluffton, Winfield and all points in between.
“People don’t necessarily have to buy the kits per se,” Coleman added. “They can donate whatever school supplies they wish and if they’re not sure what to buy, they can make cash donations so the FCSS can use it to fill in any blanks where they see a need.”
As for the previous five years the program has been in existence, she said it’s both good news and bad. While the amount of donations has increased over that time period, so has the demand.
“Oh definitely. Every year it seems to get bigger and usually the need also gets bigger a bit as well, so that always helps,” she said. “We’re fortunate to be in a very generous community. The people of Rimbey and area always seem to come through for us and it’s greatly appreciated.”
As an added bonus for the program, the pharmacy will also be hosting a barbecue lunch on Friday, Aug. 28 with funds being split between the Kitz 4 Kidz program and the Weekend to End Breast Cancer organization.
They’ll also be holding a raffle in which any donators have the opportunity to win a $500 shopping spree at the pharmacy.
To date the Kitz 4 Kidz program has assisted more than 15,000 kids in Alberta and British Columbia with over $100,000 in donations.