Cole Irwin was a bit nervous walking into the Inn of the Good Shepherd’s kitchen.

He and his Grade 7 classmates from Lambton Centennial School were there to serve lunch to about 100 people who come for the daily free meal.

It was part of their geography class which explores differences in communities, equality and poverty according to Irwin’s teacher, Adam McEachran. “We were trying to do a challenge-based project so we presented them with a few different things to do and they were all over going to The Inn,” he told The Independent as students delivered food to the tables in the cafeteria at the shelter.

And they didn’t just show up to serve. McEachran says each student came up with an idea for an item which could be placed in a goodie bag to give to the people at lunch. The students then got on the phone and found local businesses to donate the items.

They came up with everything from toothbrushes, to give cards for a hamburger to a free bus pass on Sarnia Transit.

Even with all the enthusiasm Irwin was a bit uneasy about helping out. “I didn’t know what to expect,” he says.

And he certainly didn’t expect to find someone with something in common with him. “I had one guy telling me he went to Centennial from Grade 7 to Grade 8; I was surprised by that.”

The nerves settled as he had a chance to serve and Irwin says he and his classmates have learned a lot from the afternoon. “I think these are really nice people,” he says.