Mother Teresa School and Sobey’s Lloydminster partnered to create, make, and sell donuts during February, raising nearly $6,000 for local non-profit organizations. Cheque presentations were made on Friday with representatives from each of the organizations present in the school’s gym. Jeannette Benoit-Leipert Meridian Source
The third year of the ‘Sprinkle Kindness, Spread Sweetness’ campaign is in the books, with nearly $6,000 allocated to local non-profits.
The cheque presentations were made at Mother Teresa School Friday morning, along with a fun donut-eating challenge which sparked a lot of laughs.
In the three years the campaign has run, with Sobey’s Lloydminster as their partner, they’ve sold over $30,000 in donuts and donated about $15,000 back into the community.
“I brought it forward to Michelle (Rusteika) and we had no idea what we were getting into … We blew our projections for the whole project in just three days our very first year, so that was really cool,” said Grade 1 teacher Paige Kindopp, who came up with the idea during the pandemic.
“It was more just to connect our families with the community and really teach our students about these local organizations and how they help people and animals here in Lloydminster.”
The program is directed by the students. Each classroom designs a donut, and then they learn about different non-profit groups and decide which groups will receive the proceeds.
Kindopp says the project wouldn’t be possible without the kindness shown by Michelle Rusteika and family, who own Sobey’s Lloydminster.
“The students are so invested in it. They are so excited! They’re excited to go visit their donut at Sobey’s, they’re excited to participate in creating the donut. They’re so excited to have their ideas accepted and developed into something true,” said Kindopp.
“If it wasn’t for Sobey’s this project wouldn’t be possible at all.”
Rusteika says they are happy to help, and she’s really impressed by the collaboration of the students to design the donuts and decide together where the funds will go.
“I can’t tell you how much I love this whole campaign. The kids get so involved, and it really does create little leaders,” said Rusteika.
“The courage it takes to create and to have those discussions with your peers on ‘but I want this, and you want something different’ and then to respect each other’s decisions. It just creates little people that are responsible.”
She said the students are passionate about their designs too, which keeps her and her daughter on their toes.
“This year my daughter Rose and I were up early every morning, usually a 5 a.m. start, to get fresh donuts out and we would do their designs,” said Rusteika.
“And it’s funny, because six-year-olds will very quickly let you know if you have not created the donut design correctly, so they’re very particular on what it looks like and that it brings their creation to life.”
She said the support from the community has been amazing, and donut sales have boomed throughout the three-week campaign.
“We had some businesses that really stepped up. Agland had a competition going, they did the coolest pictures with the donuts on their equipment and stuff and that really got the ball rolling,” said Rusteika, adding Cenovus is a big supporter as well.
“They’ve been fantastic and we’re very thankful for that.”
This year’s fund allocations, a grand total of $5,701.57, are as follows: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lloydminster: $570.18, Lloydminster Rescue Squad: $1,140.30, Border Paws Animal Shelter: $1,140.30, Lloydminster KidSport: 570.19, The Olive Tree: $1,140.30, Lloydminster Public Library: $1,140.30.
As for the future of the campaign, Kindopp says it’s such a win-win situation, she’s hoping to continue spreading the kindness.
“It was very evident after year one that we were going to keep building this project and hopefully we can reach out to other communities as well,” she said.
“Kind of challenge them to do a similar project or support them in a project just like this, and see if we can kind of spiral and domino effect other schools and communities.”
