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Two UGDSB students organize street food drives 

November 26, 2020 

GUELPH, Ontario – Earlier this year, Credit Meadows Elementary School grade 7 student Jaylen decided to give back to the community by organizing a food drive with his father, Orangeville District Secondary School Teacher Koven Padayachee. Quickly this idea of a street-based food drive blossomed into something more.  

After Jaylen and Koven started their food drive, Padayachee was talking to his colleague and friend, John F. Ross CVI teacher Iain Durk, about Jaylen’s initiative and Durk decided to run the idea by his son Owen who is in grade 7 at Sir Isaac Brock Public School.  

With Jaylen and Koven’s help, Owen and Iain joined the cause by starting a similar initiative in Guelph.  

Through neighbourhood advertising using flyers and a Facebook group, this food drive has reached many people in the community. In Orangeville, about six other families have started the campaign on their street and in Guelph five other families are also doing this on their street.  

Jaylen and Owen have set a fundraising goal of being able to donate 10,000 lbs of food to the food bank by December 25.  

Due to COVID-19, the Padayachee and Durk families know that now more than ever food banks and families are struggling and by participating in this food drive, they hope to be able to bring happiness to many people over the holiday season.  

This campaign is being done in a safe manner. In Guelph, Owen distributes flyers by placing them under the door mat. Food in Guelph and Orangeville is being collected safely by assigning participants a time to have their food ready on their front porch or driveway for pick-up. Donations from Orangeville will be supporting the Orangeville Food Bank and donations from Guelph will be supporting the Guelph Food Bank.

This campaign is generating so much momentum, that Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield recognized Owen during the November 24 Question Period at Parliament. To date, Owen and his family have raised 325lbs of food just as a family.  

If you are interested in paying it forward by starting a street food drive in your neighbourhood, email Iain Durk (Guelph) at [email protected] or Koven Padayachee (Orangeville) at [email protected].

You can also join the public Facebook group created for this initiative by clicking here. 

Congratulations Owen and Jaylen for this amazing initiative, we cannot wait to hear if you reached your goal of 10,000 lbs of food.

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