Sacred Heart High School Students make donation to Stittsville Food Bank

On Wednesday, June 18, a group of Grade 10 Business students from Sacred Heart High School in Stittsville took a short walk down the road — but it was more than just a normal walk. They were headed to the Stittsville Food Bank to donate an $8,500 cheque.

The students were representing Sacred Heart Hope, a student-led company that operated as part of the Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) in partnership with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. This year, over 170 students across six Grade 10 business classes at Sacred Heart participated in the program.

Working in teams of four or five, the students created their own pop-up food and drink businesses, with the goal of not only earning a profit but also making a difference. All businesses participated in a “selling day” at school during lunch hours in either December or May/June, and 100 per cent of their profits were donated to charity.

The initiative is affectionately known at the school as the “Lemonade Stand Project”, though products went well beyond the summertime drink to hot chocolate, baked goods, pizza, hot dogs, and more. 

As part of the SEP learning experience, students explored what it means to launch a social enterprise — a business that gives back. The company's chosen UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) was Goal 2: Zero Hunger, and they learned about food insecurity and its impact in the local community of Stittsville.

“I really enjoyed working on this project with my friends because it was something for a very good cause,” said Hugh Lunney, one of the students who ran a business called ‘The Dog Pound’.

Submitted by Tristan Nuyens, Sacred Heart High School Business & Computer Studies Department  Head