Every Wednesday afternoon, from September to May half term, all boys in their first year of study for their International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma, head out into the community to volunteer. All the activities undertaken provide a challenging and formative experience for boys, while fulfilling a genuine need in our local community.
One such community partnership is with Bedford Foodbank, which is part of a nationwide network supported by the Trussell Trust. It works on the assertion that no one in our community should face going hungry; with this in mind, they provide three days’ worth of nutritionally balanced food to local people who are referred to them.
This term, Lower Sixth Formers William Everitt and Ayaan Hanif are helping in the Foodbank warehouse every Wednesday afternoon, and have helped to organised donated food into categories and to deliver food donated from a collection by the Prep School as well as organise toiletries into bags for clients.
The Manager of Bedford Foodbank, Andrea, said “We are very pleased to have two Bedford School boys volunteer at Bedford Foodbank. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organisation, and it’s with their help that we can provide a crucial service in the local community. While they volunteer with us, they will contribute to our aim of ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry, while learning important skills and gaining valuable experience.”
Ayaan explained, “It feels good to do something that helps people in our community while applying the school values of kindness and responsibility”.
During the second half of this term, the boys plan to organise a food collection here in the Upper School. Watch this space!