Being prepared for school is key to a great educational experience. The Tools For School Program, which is headed up by Strathmore FCSS and Value Drug Mart, helps families who may have a little less in the bank, get the school supplies they need in order to thrive.

On Thursday, November 25, the team at Value Drug Mart made a donation of $1,900 and a substantial amount of physical school supplies to Tools for School.

Stacie Morck from Value Drug Mart in Strathmore says, “We've raised $1,900 for them in gift cards here at the store for school supplies and anything they would need for educational purposes. Whether it’s for kids being home-schooled or anything else, just to help out with the parents that have a lesser income.”

Morck explained that the funds were raised through Value Drug Mart customers. “We let everyone know that we were doing Tools for School again, which we've been doing for quite a few years, and they donated at the till. A couple of dollars here, a couple of dollars there, and people also brought in supplies,” she said.

“We also came up with quite a good amount of supplies ourselves to donate to the project. The customers were just fantastic again this year,” she said.

Morck continued, “Of course, it was a harder year for everybody, but they still managed to come up with a very, very decent amount, which is absolutely fantastic because every little bit of kindness goes a long way.”