She hasn’t seen it with her own eyes, but Maria Robinson isn’t blind to the fact that she’d struggle to put food on the table if she had to go without an income for two months.
In fact, the mom of two elementary school-aged children is acutely aware of how financially desperate things must be getting for some of the teachers during the current strike.
So much so, that Robinson has been taking morning muffins, coffee and pizza lunches to the teachers on the picket line at Woodward elementary, which is just four doors from her family home.
And now, with the bitter dispute looking likely to stretch into the fall, she and other parents have started a temporary food bank — called Richmond Families Supporting Richmond Families — and a drive-thru donation day for teachers. The parents are asking for community and commercial support.
“I’ve been out on that (picket) line with the teachers almost every day for the majority of that day during the strike,” said Robinson, who’s also Woodward elementary’s PAC co-chair and is Richmond Family Place’s board of directors’ vice-chair.
“The ones that I speak to every day have not said they’re unable to put food on the table, but they all tell stories of teachers ‘they know’ who are struggling.
“Whether that’s actually themselves they’re talking about or not, I don’t know, but I do know I’d be struggling if there was no household income for two months.”
The half a dozen or so striking teachers on the tiny Woodward elementary picket line are very grateful for the daily offerings from Robinson.
As the Richmond News turned up to speak to the teachers, another mom arrived with a storage tote packed full of donated food items.
When asked, however, if they’re getting desperate enough to use a food bank, the teachers on the picket line sidestepped talking about their own situation.
“There are single-parent families who are struggling and there are others where both parents are teachers,” said Woodward teacher Anne-Marie Fenn.
“Some have savings, but they will be well into that by now.”
Although things are going to get tighter financially by the day, fellow Woodward teacher Brad Ray said there are bigger lessons to be learned for the younger people around him.
“Yes, there’s a little bit of hardship, but it’s important for my children and, I guess, my students to see me standing up for what I believe in,” said Ray.
Robinson, who organized a barbecue for the Woodward teachers during the strike in June, said she, or anyone from the parent group, can arrange to pick up your donation.
Those wanting to donate food items or anything else, can email Robinson at [email protected], call her at 604-763-4856 or go to a special Facebook page at www.facebook.com/events/685284574884061.
Robinson plans to distribute the donated items on Sept. 14 from Richmond Family Place at 8660 Ash St. Items can be dropped off that day from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Teachers are invited to pick up the items between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, Richmond Secondary students are hosting a rally on Wednesday Sept. 10 at noon at the Brighouse Canada Line station. And a Grade 8 student from the same school has started a Facebook page to “showcase how much students care about their education.”
The page, set up by Chris Wong, had around 2,000 members on Monday. He hopes the posts the group’s members make will help “speed up the process of the deal and bring school back as soon as possible.”
