Primary school pupils open their own food bank to help the community in Starcross
The challenge was part of the Ivy Trust's annual community week
A primary school has opened a food bank, as pupils worry about rising costs for their parents.
The food bank was created after pupils at Starcross were asked what worries them most and decided it was the best way to help their community.
Year 3 Teacher Lotti Moulster says it was the youngsters' idea, explaining they were inspired by a song.
"The song is Kiss The Sky and it's from the film Wild Robot, which was the first book that we read as a class this year and they absolutely loved," she said.
"It's about pushing yourself, trying something new and being brave and if you do fall down there's a way to get back up again - and so we're thinking about how this is a brand new idea and it might not work and if it doesn't that's ok."
The food bank aims to provide accessible, discreet, and reliable assistance to those in need, ensuring that no member of our community goes without essential food supplies. It was developed as part of the Ivy Trust's annual week where pupils aim to make a difference.
Miss Moulster said pupils were asked for ideas and reflected: “They all said things like food, some said toilet roll.
"Some said fuel, which clearly has come from parental discussions and we did have the discussion that maybe that's not something that we can facilitate at school!
"They've clearly just overheard conversations with the adults in their houses, that prices are going up and it is getting harder to live basically."
Headteacher Tara Trail said: "Community is at the heart of everything that all of our eight schools do.
"We want to make sure that our schools are at the heart of our local communities and we want to enable our children to be fantastic citizen's of the future that think about each other and not just themselves.
"This food bank is about more than just providing food—it’s about supporting one another and ensuring every family has access to the essentials they need.”