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PIE Education program helps the kids and also feeds the soul, says MP

'For a child whose parents may not have a lot of money for new items, this is a morale booster like no other,' says local MP

Despite his time in office winding down, local MP Alex Nuttall soldiers on with a project that's near and dear to him, and shows no signs of slowing down.

The federal representative for Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte and Craig Russell, owner of PIE Wood Fired Pizza Joint, started an initiative seven years ago to get backpacks and school supplies to children in the community who need them most.

More than 2,200 backpacks full of supplies will be handed out this year through PIE (which for the program stands for Providing Instruments for Excellence) in Education, bringing the total over the years to approximately 13,000.

Nuttall says the back-to-school drive goes a long way for a kid’s mental health.

“It’s amazing to see all the volunteers here making sure no kid goes without,” Nuttall told BarrieToday. “It’s one thing for a kid to be able to start the school year off with the tools to succeed; it’s another for them to start with the confidence needed as they open the bag around their peers and have the same things their friends have.

"For a child whose parents may not have a lot of money for new items, this is a morale booster like no other," he added. 

Through fundraisers like the PIE Golf Tournament and the Boots and Hearts Barn Burner, more than $20,000 is raised annually for the backpacks and supplies to be purchased and given to various community organizations, who then distribute them to the children and youth they support.

On Thursday, more than 50 volunteers unloaded a U-Haul truck and loaded backpacks at PIE on Victoria Street, near Centennial Beach.

Nuttall, who grew up in government-subsidized housing, says it was a great sight for him to see. 

“I’m very fortunate as I look back, because I know that, due to the investments of others in me, I was able to go from government housing to my dream job,” said Nuttall, who is not seeking re-election in October's federal election.

“I want to make sure other kids get the same opportunities as I got," he added. "I am going to continue the PIE Education plan and the Barn Burner event, just not in a political capacity, which may feed the soul a little better than ever before.”