Tags helping raise wheelchair funds
Next time you take that pesky little plastic tag off your bread bag and biff it in the bin, think again.
Henry Hill School has been collecting those tags, in fact more than 60,000 of them, since Year 3 pupil Cooper Hill and his parents Lisa and Ben became frustrated with the amount of waste they were accumulating, says Henry Hill School principal Jason Williams.
“They wanted to make some changes. After spending some time on YouTube they came across the Breadtags for Wheelchairs initiative and we started collecting the tags around the middle of last year.”
The Bread Tags For Wheelchairs scheme has been running in South Africa since 2006 and was started in New Zealand in February. In South Africa the bread tags are sold to a plastics company which makes seedling trays, and the funds are used to purchase wheelchairs for those in need.
Jason says Richmond School is happy for the wider community to drop their bread tags into the school.
“It’s a great way to inspire everyone to chip in and collectively make a difference —
this may inspire others to think of lots of other ways to help people in need and/ or find ways to look after the earth.”
And that message has now spread, with the school recently receiving a large parcel from Palmerston North.
“A few weeks ago the #CanKidz in Room 11 received a large box from Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School. Inside they found a letter and large bags full of thousands of plastic bread tags.”
Jason says the kids had heard about what Henry Hill School was doing and wanted to help out.
“Much like here it started out as a class idea/initiative which branched out into the school and then the community. An idea that started with one of our wha¯ nau deciding they wanted to make a change in how they minimise waste and re-use/repurpose what waste they do have at home, has transformed into a true movement.”
Jason says it’s about creating generational change.
“It’s about inspiring our kids and community to make a difference.”
And it doesn’t stop there — the bread tags have also made a difference in the classroom.
“It’s made Maths real for the kids — someone has to count them all! It’s hands on, they’re learning about the world, and we’re a socially conscious school anyway so finding ways to look after Papatu¯ a¯ nuku (Earth Mother) lends itself perfectly to this cause — our kids can see the bigger picture.”
The bread tags come from the homes of all of the Henry Hill School kids from five to 11, plus staff and the wider community. Jason says they regularly share and celebrate their contributions through Facebook and in assembly.
“It’s awesome to see the empathy and kaitiakitanga mentality shown by not only our school and community but also all the way over in Palmerston North.
“Keep bringing in those bread tags wha¯ nau as not only are they helping those in need, they are also helping to look after Papatu¯ a¯ nuku.”
■ For more information check these out #CanKidz #CanTeam #CanCommunity #ALLin