Archive

Orangeville Home Hardware donating 200 backpacks to families in need

September 26, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Paula Brown

Orangeville Home Hardware is helping children in the community start the school year off on the right foot by sponsoring the purchase of new backpacks.

Daniel Moulton, owner of Orangeville Home Hardware, announced in a press release earlier this month that the store would be donating 200 new backpacks to families throughout Simcoe and Dufferin County. The donations are through a local initiative called Providing Instruments for Excellence (PIE) Education. Moulton has been partnered with PIE Education since 2018 and is expanding his participation to families throughout Ontario.

“We understand that economically, times are very challenging and there is a significant increase in need from local families this year,” said Moulton. “Our team at Home Hardware is grateful to be in a position to support our community, and we hope these resources will help guide children through their school year.”

PIE Education is a program started by Alex Nuttall and Craig Russell in 2012, which provides learning instruments to underprivileged and at-risk children. The initiative’s goal is to boost children’s confidence at the start of the school year to encourage them to focus on their curriculums and positively engage with fellow students.

As a child, Nuttall grew up in government-subsidized housing and received assistance from people in the community. For Nuttall, PIE Education is an opportunity to give back to the people and programs that helped him in his youth. In a similar mindset, Russell was eager to create practical solutions to fight poverty and give back to the community.

Through Nuttall and Russell’s efforts, including an annual PIE Golf Tournament hosted every July, the duo have been able to raise over $100,000 annually from sponsors and donors to purchase the school supplies given out.

“We believe every child should have the confidence and tools to succeed in school, and without the help of our sponsors and donors, we wouldn’t be able to provide this support year after year,” said Russell. “We continue to hear from so many new organizations each year looking to join the program, which highlights the growing need in the area and encourages us to expand PIE Education.”

Over the past 15 years, PIE Education has been able to provide over 27,500 filled backpacks to children across Ontario.

The organization added that with the growing economic challenges faced by families, this year’s donation of 200 backpacks from Orangeville Home Hardware and Moulton would provide “crucial support to local children”.

“This is a huge honour to support the work that Dan and the Home Hardware teams are doing throughout the region,” said Nuttall. “Their care for people, especially the children who are at-risk is inspiring to say the least. Without the team, there would be 200 children returning to school without the necessary tools for success. Thank you, Dan, for having such a big heart and taking action in favour of our most vulnerable.”

To learn more about the Providing Instruments for Excellence (PIE) Education program or to provide a donation of your own, visit – www.piewoodpizza.com.

Readers Comments (0)