Hat tricks aren’t just for hockey. Nelson firefighters have teamed up to make a third, consecutive annual donation to School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) (SD8) to support school food programs. 

The Nelson Professional Firefighters Charitable Society raised $2,000 for four Nelson schools - $500 each for Hume Elementary, Rosemont Elementary, South Nelson Elementary, and Wildflower Nelson.  

The society raised money in 2024 through their fall charity golf tournament and the winter “boot drive” to benefit a variety of community organizations and causes. 

Fire Captain Chris Thast says making sure children have enough to eat during the school day is one cause people in Nelson are more than ready to support. 

“Among the programs that we raise funds for, the school food program is the one of the bigger   ones that we promote during the annual boot drive. When people find out we’re raising money to feed kids in school, they’re like, ‘Okay, here you go.’ Food for kids is something people understand right away directly benefits the community.” 

Funds donated to SD8 will be used to buy food that other programs don’t provide, or to feed students after school or during weekends and holidays.

“At Wildflower we can use these funds to get some special things like pepperoni sticks, nuts, and other really good high protein energy sources as well as fresh fruit to fill in the gaps for students throughout the day,” said Principal Nick Graves. 

“This money goes directly into the mouths of children so it’s local and stays local. We have a very strong commitment in SD8 to making sure that children are never hungry during the school day and that families are supported when the day is over. To feed children, we feed families,” said Rosemont Elementary Principal Lindsay Mackay. 

Hume Principal Sacha Kalabis agrees that direct and immediate donations from the community are vital to supplement other food programs. 

“What this donation does is offer a different level of flexibility in how we can support families. The funding we have from other sources is important but it’s also usually more restricted in how we can use it, even though we know there are other needs. Donations like this one allows us to meet those other needs.”

Nelson firefighter Chas Misener says that the Nelson Professional Firefighters Charitable Society is happy to help.

“We’re a small group who care about the community that we live and work in. If we can raise a few thousand dollars that’s great and it speaks to who the guys are and to who the community is that supports us.” 

The result? Children and families win.