For more than a decade, Saanich Police and students of Colquitz Middle School have been teaming up for a good cause.
Class after class of 6th to 8th graders walked down the halls carrying donation boxes filled with goods, food, and toys to load into the back of a police cruiser parked at the school's Dumeresq Street entrance on the morning of Dec. 12.
Saanich Police information and communications officer Const. Nick Murray, along with several colleagues, found it uplifting to witness the strong participation in the 11th iteration of this tradition.
The event’s goal is to gather as many donations as possible for Burnside Gorge Community Centre's Christmas hampers, explained Melody Kassiri, the school’s youth and family counsellor.
“We spread the word about the event just before Christmas,” she said. “The kids are pretty familiar with it… and we turn [this] into a friendly competition between the classrooms to bring in the most items from home.”
“The class that brings in the most items has a pizza party so it motivates them to bring in as much as they can.”
Both Saanich Police and the school expressed shared pleasure in renewing this partnership.
“We're really happy to be here and participate in a cause that helps a lot of people,” said Murray.
“It's a really positive relationship to have and for the Saanich police to come in and help,” added Kassiri. “It's just a nice community event for the kids to witness and be a part of. It brings a lot of joy to the school.”
Active in two Saanich schools, Cram the Cruiser was at Cordova Bay Elementary on Dec. 11 to collect goods and food for the 1UP Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre.
