Sharing the warmth this winter

Rostrata Primary School students and families have dug deep into their wallets and donated winter items to people in need.

The school’s Winter Warmer Drive has collected more than 1000 items, including socks, gloves, scarves, and beanies, to gift to people experiencing homelessness, who are even more vulnerable as the cold weather rolls in.

Year 5 teacher, Charles Wickham, led the project alongside pre-primary teacher Patricia Lee. 

Mr Wickham said the idea for the project came about two years ago when one of his students, Kezia Soon, approached him with the idea to help people who were struggling during wintertime. 

“It was incredible to see a student display such a strong social conscience and her desire to make a difference is what truly drove the creation of this project,” said Mr Wickham. 

“In her eyes, the purpose extended beyond simply providing warm clothes for those experiencing homelessness, but also changing the way homelessness is perceived by the public.” 

Students across the school made posters to help to promote the collection, as well as making announcements in their classrooms and at assembly. Each block in the school had a collection tub, so every year group would have an easy drop off point. 

This year, the school collected a total of 1,029 items, which more than tripled their inaugural 2022 year of 300 items. 

Now in Year 6, Keiza said it was a great feeling helping people and making a difference, and it was cool to see all the items after they were collected.

“I had an idea in Year 4 that we could donate socks to keep the homeless warm. I wanted to help my classmates see that they aren’t scary and are people too,” she said. 

“Some people think they are scary, but they are just less fortunate and deserve to be kept warm too.” 

Mr Wickham said it was overwhelming to see the final total of items, but he was so appreciative to the community for coming together and helping to make a difference.  

He said it’s important for students to be involved in projects such as the Winter Warmer Drive to empower students to create social change. 

“We shouldn’t hide these potentially taboo topics from our students, but rather educate them about these harsh realities and create opportunities for them to truly assist in making a difference,” he said.  

“If we all want to see the world improve, we need to help the next generation experience firsthand the power of community in creating change.” 

The program didn’t end with the winter items being donated to Global Mission United. Rostrata Primary School staff, including Mr Wickham, Mrs Lee and principal Tamara Doig, also volunteered their time to help hand out the items.