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‘Pumpkin patch’ brought to Surrey inner-city schools where COVID cancelled field trips

Work done by volunteers with Surrey-based City Dream Centre
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City Dream Centre volunteers with their “pumpkin patch” at Prince Charles Elementary in Surrey on Tuesday, Oct. 27. (submitted photo)

Some Surrey kids don’t get to visit a pumpkin patch this month, so one community group is bringing the pumpkins to them.

This week, in a pre-Halloween initiative, City Dream Centre volunteers plan to set up pumpkin patches in the fields of four of Surrey’s inner-city schools, starting at Prince Charles Elementary on Tuesday (Oct. 27).

The pumpkins will be placed in the early morning, and classes of students will take turns visiting their very own pumpkin patch in the afternoon, with COVID-19 precautions in place.

The Surrey-based City Dream Centre organization runs Adopt-A-School programs at schools where poverty is a problem.

“Many thanks to Aldor Acres and Real Canadian Superstore for donating the majority of the pumpkins for this project,” the group said in an email about their “Pumpkin Project.”

The news release quotes Laurie Larsen, chair of Surrey’s Board of Education. She said City Dream Centre has a longstanding partnership with the district and has supported a number of initiatives across Surrey Schools.

“Going to the pumpkin patch is an annual field trip for many of our schools, and unfortunately due to the pandemic, we’ve had to cancel some of these trips,” Larsen noted. “City Dream Centre volunteers were able to step in and provide a special experience for our students at participating schools so they could enjoy the pumpkin patch in a safe and fun way. Thank you to City Dream Centre, their volunteers, and the pumpkin providers for this experience – our students will definitely enjoy it!”

• RELATED STORY, from April 2020: 1,000 food hampers packed for delivery to students of Surrey’s inner-city schools.

Last April, City Dream Centre delivered close to 1,000 hampers of food to students and families at inner-city schools, along with seniors and others in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The volunteer hamper packing was done at Horizon Church, on 66A Avenue in Newton.

City Dream Centre’s Adopt-a- School program now has 14 of Surrey’s 32 inner-city schools “adopted out,” along with nine schools in other areas of the Lower Mainland.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Donna Lomax, principal of Prince Charles Elementary in Surrey, with pumpkins brought to the school by City Dream Centre on Tuesday, Oct. 27. (submitted photo)


Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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