Winnipeg student rakes in backpacks for clients at Siloam Mission

Six weeks ago, KakekaThunderskystarted Churchill High School's first backpack drive and 200 sturdy bags have already been collected forclients at Siloam Mission.

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"I was a little bit shocked.I wasn't expecting it to be such a big thing in our school, and to have it be so positive," said Thundersky.

Fellow students and teachers jumped on board and made the drive a quick success.

Alan North,Thundersky'steacher,described thedrive as "incredible."

"We didn't know what to expect, having never really heard of a backpack drive before. You do food drives, clothes drives, but you never really hear of backpack drives," said North.

The idea came to the Grade 12 studentafter she touredSiloam Mission a couple years ago. She saw how clients struggled to keep their belongings together with flimsy plastic bags.

"I noticed a lot of people go there and they get stuff but how are you going to [carry] that stuff without a bag?" she asked. "I thought a backpack drive would be a good idea. Something simple can make such a difference in a person's life."

Thundersky will get a chance to see the impact of her drive on Monday when she and her entire class deliver nearly 200 backpacks to the homeless shelter.

Many students will have never seen that side of Winnipeg before, she said.Thunderskyhopes it exposes them to the poverty that exists in their community and thatshe is all too familiar with.

"When I was younger, myself and people I've knownhave struggled a lot with poverty," she said."Just because I'm doing good [now] doesn't mean everyone else is."

Thundersky is still collecting backpacks. Donations can be delivered in person at Churchill High School, 510 Hay St., Winnipeg. The drive will continue until noononMonday.