Surrey Schools students showed the importance of giving back this holiday season

It's the season of giving, and students at schools throughout our district spent the last several weeks raising money, writing cards and gathering food, clothing and toys for the less fortunate.

The generosity and kindness at our schools was incredible the following is a small sample of the efforts made by everyone from kindergarten students to teens.

Fraser Heights Secondary students gathered canned goods for the Surrey Food Bank while the White Rock Learning Centre held a food drive and assembled hampers for families. Maddaugh Elementary students made their own hampers in support of the Cloverdale Christmas Hamper Program.

And don't worry, Panorama Ridge Secondary didn't forget about our furry, four-legged friends with their wildly successful animal food drive, collecting 410 items for the BC SPCA!

The Cambridge Elementary's PAC gathered food and toy donations for the Surrey Food Bank and Surrey Christmas Bureau, and a Grade 2 class adopted a senior through the London Drugs Stocking Stuffers for Seniors program.

In response to recent events in Afghanistan, the home country of Tamanawis Secondary teacher Mariam Hazhir, her students put together care packages for new Afghan refugees and donated them to BC4Afghans, an Afghan-Canadian advocacy group in B.C.

SAIL students and an Aboriginal youth care worker gathered gifts for an Indigenous family, while Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary's student council donated $80 to the Cloverdale Community Kitchen and the Abbotsford Flood Relief fund through a fundraiser by Power of One, the school's boys leadership group.

Clayton Heights Secondary art students and the school's Art Council kept the postal workers busy, creating dozens of thank you cards and art pieces for staff at both Surrey Memorial Hospital and BC Children's Hospital.

North Surrey Secondary's Spartans of Society teamed up with the Rotary Club of Surrey to put together more than 15 gift bags, 50 treat bags and personalized cards for seniors at Laurel Place. And Christina Farrant's class at Sullivan Heights Secondary also spread some holiday cheer through cards, writing 140 of them for residents at a senior living centre.

Thank you to all of our students, parents, staff and school communities for their generous donations this holiday season!