Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

FOOD BANK DONATIONS

RL Clemitson, Ralph Bell, Marion Schilling schools face off for March Madness Food Drive

Mar 15, 2025 | 9:39 AM

KAMLOOPS — Three Kamloops-area elementary schools brought their ‘A’ game for a good cause, as this Friday (Mar. 14) wrapped up the March Madness food drive.

The annual event posed a challenge from RL Clemitson to Marion Schilling and Ralph Bell schools to see who could collect the most donations for the Kamloops Food Bank.

Update March 19: School District 73 says between all three schools, more than 1.5 tons of food was collected for the Food Bank. RLC donated 2,091 lbs for an average of 5 lbs per student, followed by Marion Schilling with 814 lbs and 3.5 lbs per student, and Ralph Bell, which donated 438 lbs at an average of 1.75 lbs per student.

The winning school also claims the rights to dress the opposing school principals in their school colours, to be worn as they welcome back students when they return from spring break.

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It was ‘March Madness’, both in sorting, and in title for this year’s food drive challenged between local schools.

“I wanted to get involved with that,” Grade 7 RLC student Sebastian Sampson-Roy told CFJC. “I think the food bank gets a lot of donations (from it), and it’s good.”

“I just liked how we are helping out the community and helping the people who need it,” fellow seventh grader Sage Wolff adds.

The idea originally came from a former student of RLC, Griffin Seafoot, several years ago. This fifth annual iteration of the competition brought in Grade 7s from RLC, Ralph Bell and Marion Schilling Elementary.

“I know we’ve got pretty stiff competition at the other two schools,” says RLC Principal Blake Buemann. “I know Tiffany Hawkins at Ralph Bell and Kristen Flinn at Marion Schilling have really done a great job of promoting it, and doing their best to get it going.”

Students had two weeks to gather donations, with the final amount weighed by the food bank Friday afternoon to see who collected the most.

“There’s a lot. But it took a short amount of time.” notes Cassy Owens.

“Yeah, it was only in two weeks that it was collected, that stuff — so [the food drive] did a lot,” adds Jordyn Sampietro.

“Part of it, I mean we really want to be competitive with the other schools, but we also want them to understand that the real winner here in the food bank,” explains Buemann. “Part of that discussion is helping them really understand what the food bank does in the community and why we have the food bank.”

Judging by student commentary after it was all said and done, the message stuck.

“The competition was also really fun but I think the most important part is just to get involved and help the food bank,” reiterates Sampson-Roy.