Clyde School students packed boxes of donated stonefruit for a fundraiser for cyclone affected growers in Hawkes Bay on Friday (February 24).

The initiative was driven by a group of local orchards: Clyde Orchards, Hintons, Strode Road Orchard, Dunstan Hills and Panmure Orchards. 

They provided nectarines, peaches and apricots for the five kilogram boxes.

Each box cost $30 (or $35 delivered) and all the proceeds have been donated to the Hawkes Bay Fruit Growers Association Charitable Trust (HBFGA).

Approximately 40 students helped to pack 80 boxes that were sold to the Central community - resulting in a total of $2,500 funding going to HBFGA.

Clyde School students with completed fruit boxes

“Wow - thanks so much to the Central Otago growers and community for your generous support,” HBFGA responded to the donation.

“We will put these funds to good use. Please also thank the kids for their support. It is this kind of community spirit that we will draw on to get us through.”

Clyde Orchards operations manager Kris explains how the cravo works 

Clyde School principal Steph Kitto said last week was the annual ‘Education Outside the Classroom’ (EOTC) week.

“[It's] a week where students head out of the classroom to connect with their local community and take part in activities that make the most of our local area and provide them with new opportunities and challenges.

“This year all students visited one of our local orchards to learn about fruit production.” 

Clyde School pupils in year one to three visited Strode Rd Orchard, and year fours to eight visited Sunbury Park.

Along with the volunteer work, the students ‘education outside the classroom’ visit to Sunbury Park in Earnscleugh allowed them to learn about the cravo (retractable automated greenhouse), picking fruit, bugs that damage crops, hydraladas and orchard operations.

Steph said Clyde School is also holding a mufti day today (Wednesday March 1) to raise money for schools affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. 

“The students will be writing messages of support to send to students at one of the schools… Te Mahia School in Wairoa.”