Berry Street School students raise funds for local charity

By Caleb Francis

Sep 21, 2023

Community support: Students at Berry Street School recently raised funds for People Supporting People through their Berry Street Sweets chocolate stands. Photo by Contributed

Students from Berry Street School in Shepparton have raised funds for local charity People Supporting People.

Under the guidance of senior secondary co-ordinator Stuart Shaw, Year 10 and 11 students set up ‘Berry Street Sweets,’ a small business initiative featuring snack stands in three Shepparton businesses.

“The students are learning about budgeting, handling money, purchasing stock, stocktaking, advertising, communication skills and point of sale transactions,” Mr Shaw said.

“More importantly, they’ve learned about helping others in the community.”

The school, known for its student-centric approach to education, envisioned this project as a medium to foster essential life skills while nurturing a spirit of giving.

The funds collected are donated to People Supporting People.

Cooking fever: Berry Street School student Tommi Wallace, People Supporting People founder Azem Elmaz, volunteer Collette Martin and Berry Street School student Wil Kearns. Photo by Contributed

Berry Street School VCE student Steph Clark said that the choice of this charity stemmed from a strong desire to aid the community, especially in the wake of the October floods.

“Shepparton has had a rough trot lately with the floods, so it’s great to be able to do something to help out,” she said.

The fundraising initiative has seen the involvement of local businesses, including Spiire and Chris Smith and Associates, as well as Berry Street’s main office and Lutfiyes Shish Kebab.

“(We’ve learned) how to run a business, how to work in a team and that there are people out there less fortunate than ourselves,” Steph said.

With more than $700 raised, Steph said the goal is to reach at least $1000 by Christmas.

Delicious: People Supporting People’s Azem Elmaz and Collette Martin. Photo by Contributed

People Supporting People founder Azem Elmaz, who goes to the school every term for a barbecue where he teaches the students how to cook, “couldn’t be prouder” of the students, applauding their efforts and expressing immense pride in their achievements.

“They’re really good kids,” he said.

“It makes me so happy.”

Mr Elmaz commended Mr Shaw and the school staff for their support to the students.

“I love to go there. It’s a really good school,” he said.

Steph said the school intends to continue the fundraising initiative and invited more businesses to participate.

Those interested in having a Berry Street Sweets chocolate stand, email berrysweetss23@gmail.com