Students lend a helping hand with homeless (+video)

Senior reporter, Rotorua Daily Post·Rotorua Daily Post·

9 Mar, 2017 09:15 PM3 mins to read

Students at Rotorua Boys' High School have launched a community project to help Love Soup Rotorua feed the city's less fortunate.

The high school launched its partnership today by donating a ute load of UHT milk to the team at Love Soup and will be committing teams of boys to help the organisation daily at Mataatua Marae, across the road from the school where Love Soup is based, and at St Andrew's Church where a dinner service is held every night.

Deputy head boy Nathan Kenah said the initiative would see groups of about four junior students, each led by one of the school's prefects, help out the team at Love Soup on a daily basis by cooking and feeding the city's homeless population.

"Hopefully we will get about 50 students, all volunteers, take part.

"It's about giving back to the community, helping out and seeing what the less fortunate people are struggling with.

"It's a really good project and we're looking forward to starting up next week," he said.

Principal Chris Grinter said he found out about the work being done across the road from his school and thought it would be an excellent way for students to develop leadership skills, give back to the community and help a great cause.

"It all had a very good fit for our school and our boys as we looked for a community service project for 2017.

"I have no doubt that the effects of homelessness and families who have to live in cars has already touched our school and that it's a real problem in our community.

"I think that awareness will be a positive our boys will gain out of this."

He said senior students would also gain leadership skills and help develop a sense of citizenship, "and they will learn about being good men and good citizens".

Love Soup Rotorua co-founder Elmer Peiffer, who along with wife Gina provide support for Rotorua's homeless and displaced population, said the boys' help would be invaluable.

"It will be extremely beneficial as we get tied down with so many things and it will bring awareness to those boys to what's happening in the community and a really good insight into the situation in Rotorua as it is now.

"They will be kept busy serving our people, cleaning dishes, packing and also gives them an idea of how to work as a team," Mr Peiffer said.