Ngunguru schoolkids collecting for SPCA and challenge other schools to do the same

Finlay McDonald and Gracie Hawkins, from Tamure 8 at Ngunguru School, have been helping to collect food for the SPCA and are challenging other schools to do the same.

It's only a small school, but the kids in Tamure 8 at Ngunguru School plan on making a big difference in the lives of animals at Whangarei's SPCA centre - and they are challenging other schools to do the same.

Class tutor Kelly Brookland said she read an article in the Northern Advocate about how the SPCA needed food for the puppies and kittens that have sadly been abandoned.

Chloe Ferguson and Finlay McDonald helped put up signs around the Ngunguru community calling for donations to SPCA.

She took the article in to show the kids and they decided to do something about it. They got together as a class to find a way they could help and have now started a food drive in their community.

It's already paying off, with boxes of donated goods already flowing in.

''With help from our teacher [we] came up with the idea to start collecting wet kitten and puppy food for the SPCA," the students said.

"The poster was drawn by two students who along with other kids in our room who are passionate about animals came up with design of our poster.

"We have been around our community putting up posters and trying to get everyone involved,'' the students said.

''We would like to challenge all the other schools in the district to come on-board and do the same. Our class motto is, 'Lets focus on the we can and not the we can't'.''

Brookland said the children - in years 5-6 - were a caring bunch and had no hesitation taking up the cause and she was proud of how well they had done so far.

She said it was a small school, but the children were determined to make a big difference.

''We've already got plenty of food and there's more coming in. It's just great. The kids really care,'' Brookland said.

''They also want other schools to take up the challenge. If we can do it so can the bigger schools out there, that would really make a difference.''