Cornwall Ontario — Students from the World Issues class at the Ontario Hockey Academy got a hands on lesson Friday afternoon. They learned about the issue of poverty and how a non profit group can address that issue when they volunteered at the Agapè Centre for the day.

“It was a great opportunity for the students to give back to the community they call home for nine months of the year. At the same time, the experience worked to reinforce the importance of non-profit organizations, such as the Agape Centre, in supporting those in need both in Cornwall and across Canada”, explains Josh Harrison Principal of the Ontario Hockey Academy.

Students from the school went door to door on Halloween and collected approximately two-thousand non perishable items for the food bank. Now they got to experience the inner workings of a food bank and how an organization like works.

Alyssa Blais, Executive Director of the Agapè Centre, was pleased to help students with this learning experience  “Their principal and the teacher of their World Issues class, Josh Harrison, wanted to expose the youth to a community organization and the needs of our community.”

Students were given various jobs and tasks, and they were able to experience first hand the work that goes behind running an operation like the Agapè Centre.

“Half of the group prepared and served lunch in the soup kitchen. The rest of the class restocked the food bank, and served clients in the food bank throughout the afternoon, as well as lent their muscles helping us rearrange a storage room.”

The students enjoyed this learning opportunity and were very enthusiastic to help out.

“We are so glad to hear that they enjoyed the experience. They were a big help and an absolute joy to have! We love it when groups want to volunteer their time and learn more about what we do and the services we offer. Thank you to the World Issues class from the Ontario Hockey Academy for volunteering at the Agapè Centre on Friday”, says Blais.