North Vancouver Eco School campaigns for food security in B.C.

A bilingual school in North Vancouver that features an academic curriculum approved by two ministries of education had a singular vision when it came to its latest fundraising initiative.

Students and families at the Cousteau School, a French international school approved by both the B.C. Ministry of Education and French Ministry of Education, recently organized a campaign to support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

Over the month of December, more than $3,000 was raised during the online campaign.

The school’s eco committee, which features a class delegate from every grade, decides what actions should be taken in order to get involved in the community, reduce waste in the school and encourage and protect biodiversity.

In 2019, the school, located at 3657 Fromme Rd., became Canada’s first Eco School after it was accredited by the international Foundation for Environmental Education.

As part of the school’s mandate, students chose to partner with the food bank this year to learn more and help contribute to local community projects to meet the growing need for food.

The students virtually visited the warehouse of the food bank and met with their volunteers through a Zoom session last month, and then started to convince the community of parents and friends of Cousteau to make donations, according to Jean-Philippe Rheault, school spokesman.

“Students thought this is important as recent statistics show that one out of five children in B.C. live in poverty,” said Rheault.