Two recent graduates of St. Francis Xavier University donated $800 worth of supplies to three schools in Nunavut after seeing a viral tweet showcasing the high prices of goods in northern Canada.
In September, Emily Matthews and Brennah Agnew said they came across a viral tweet from a mother in Iqaluit, Nunavut who brought attention to the high cost of school supplies in northern communities.
The tweet included a photo of a notebook, three highlighters, two pens and 15 pencils that the mother said cost $43. She also said a pack of loose-leaf paper cost $25.
Having grown up in Nunavut, Matthews said she experienced firsthand the high costs of goods in the region and the careful choices residents must make when buying items.
“I can remember being eight years old and knowing we could only get one type of fruit at the grocery store, so you picked which one you wanted to eat that week,” said Matthews.
Here’s what $43 of school supplies looks like in #iqaluit
We passed on the $25 400/loose leaf paper.. pic.twitter.com/Qkle9sde8y— Pitsiulaaq ❄️ (@pitsiulaaq) September 3, 2020
Agnew and Matthews said they reached out to their friends and family for support in an effort to send supplies to the communities.
“We got a great response,” said Agnew. “People were dropping off school supplies to our house in Antigonish. We also got a lot of e-transfers, so we ended up going out and buying the supplies. It was $800 worth of supplies, and we got a ton of everything.”
The pair purchased a variety of school supplies, including packs of paper, pencils, highlighters, erasers and glue sticks.
The donations were sent in late April to Nakasuk Elementary School, Aqsarniit Middle School, and Inuksuk High School—all schools which Matthews attended while living in Iqaluit.
Matthews and Agnew said when they started looking into the price of shipping for the donations, they were met with extraordinarily high costs. According to the pair, the first quote for the cost of shipping the supplies was between $1,300 to $1,600.
“We didn’t want to spend a lot of money on shipping because that would defeat the purpose of sending up these supplies,” said Agnew. “We’d rather just the money go right to getting supplies.”
Agnew and Matthews said a major supporter in overcoming the shipping obstacle was St. Francis Xavier University. Agnew and Matthews said when they reached out to the StFX Students’ Union for funding, they received $500. This funding was then matched by the Frank McKenna Centre of Leadership to help ship the boxes of donations.
The Frank McKenna Center for Leadership also informed the pair they would receive a discount if the items were shipped through the university, which resulted in the total shipping cost being covered.
Agnew said the boxes arrived in Iqaluit last week but said she was not sure if the schools have received them due to current school closures because of COVID-19. She added the pair would be checking in with the schools this week.
Due to the high shipping costs, Agnew and Matthews said they’re unsure if sending boxes of donations will be something that they can continue in the future. Still, they are looking at other ways they could help, such as sending personalized packages to people in Nunavut who request them.
Matthews and Agnew said their experience means greater attention should be given to the high prices of goods in northern Canada.
“We’re trying to figure out what ways we can help. I think it needs more national attention because something needs to be done to make it more sustainable,” said Matthews. “There’s only so much we can do.”
Featured image provided by Brennah Agnew.
