Food castles erected to fortify needy

Bethlehem College students collected cans for the Food Bank. Front from left, Miriam Amann, Anzel Viljoen and Chloe Wilson and Freyja Fuller. PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER

Six castles made from about 4800 cans of food were erected at Bethlehem College yesterday.

The Year 7 to 13 students held a competition to see how many items of food each house could raise for the Tauranga Community Foodbank in about four weeks.

Eight members from each house were then given half an hour to turn everything they had collected into a castle.

Prizes today were to be handed out for the best castle and the most food collected.

Miriam Amann, a member of Scott House, said it was a way to have fun and help others: "It's a really good cause."

Service captain Natasha Cox, 17, said they were blown away by the success of the annual appeal.

"It's really cool for us. To have a result like this is really cool," Natasha said.

The college's 1000 students enjoyed competing to collect the most cans and make the best castle while doing something good to help others, she said.

"It's a creative way to really make a difference to people's lives. People, without realising, are changing people's lives."

Foodbank chairman Alan Plunkett was overwhelmed by the amount of food the students collected.

"The van's not big enough [to fit it all]. This is extraordinary. And it's fun. They've made fun of it," he said.

Bethlehem College was just one of the local schools taking part in the school appeal to collect food and money for the charity. Some schools had brought in their donations while others had yet to start collecting, Mr Plunkett said.