Cereal box dominoes challenge helping Sarnia food bank

Pupils and staff at Corunna’s Sir John Moore school did their part to help the Inn of the Good Shepherd knock down hunger.

During the course of about three weeks the elementary school of 500 collected 1,125 boxes of cereal for the charitable organization’s food bank.

Then, they lined them up like dominoes in school hallways and gathered to watch them fall May 19.

“I think it went really well,” said Beth Moran, whose Grade 5/6 class led the donation drive.

Every morning, pupils collected donations, helped spread the word, and did some estimating and measuring to get ready for setup, she said.

It took about 90 minutes to set up the boxes, she said, with a few minor setbacks.

“It’s a really nice way to give back to the community,” said principal Erin Gower, who pushed the first box in a pyramid arrangement that triggered the school-wide cascade.

“We have a snack program that takes place in the school each day, and this is a nice way for our school to be able to give back to the community,” she said.

Cereal donations always are needed at the food bank that serves about 2,000 people a month, said Inn of the Good Shepherd executive director Myles Vanni.

“It’s one of the things that we’re always low on,” he said.

The cereal box dominoes challenge, inspired by a similar drive in Calgary, he said, started locally in 2022 at five schools and brought in 5,000 boxes.

This year, 12 schools were vying for most boxes collected per capita, with the winners getting a trophy and a freezie party, he said.

“It’s a really good leadership activity for the kids, as well as a fun way” to help others, he said.

Sir John Moore is the third school to participate so far, with others scheduled for later this month and into June, he said.

Other needed items at the food bank include canned meat, canned fruit, side dishes, peanut butter, jam and hygiene products, he said.

Many people continue to struggle financially in the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and are feeling the impact of inflation, he said.

“It’s really pinched people.”

Food bank donations usually drop during the summer with people vacationing, he said, noting there are other food drives happening in the near future, including Anthony’s HOPE (Helping Other People Eat) at the Imperial Theater June 17 from 10 am to 3 pm, in memory of former Inn of the Good Shepherd employee Anthony Fracalanza.

“He was very involved in the theater as well,” Vanni said.