Medicine Hat student raises funds for food bank with bake sale. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

By Jayk Sterkenburg

SMILE SUNDAYS

Student’s own bake sale raises over $1.4K for Medicine Hat food bank

Mar 16, 2025 | 8:00 AM

Mila Schaitel is only in grade six, but since she was in the second grade she’s been supporting Medicine Hat’s food bank — raising $1,436 this year with cookie sales.

She began her own bake sale at the age of seven, where all funds went towards the Root Cellar Food and Wellness Hub.

Mila said that there’s lots of people who may not have much, and that it’s important to get them the things they need to have a good life.

“I have all the things that I need, but I know some people don’t and my heart goes out to them,” she said.

Starting as an idea to do a fundraiser for her school which already had several, she then decided to raise money for elsewhere in the city.

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Mila said that she initially decided to help out the food bank because she knew it helped out people in need, and she wanted to help as many people as she could.

“I like knowing that people can have what they need when they come here,” she said.

Mila Schaitel. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Mila made over 60 dozen cookies this year, with over 700 cookies sold.

Since starting her fundraising five years ago she’s made nearly $5,000, all going towards supporting the food bank.

“It makes me feel very good about myself, and helping out people- I really try to do that a lot in my life,” she said.

Mila made three different types of cookies, totalling 60 dozen, at only $1-2 a piece. Courtesy/Danielle Hartley

Melissa Mullis, executive director of the Root Cellar, said that Mila and her family provide all of the baking supplies, and the food bank provides the kitchen.

She said that every dollar and every little gesture really mean something to the food bank, and mean so much to the people it serves.

Melissa Mullis. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

“I think that having kids care so much about what we do is really cool to see,” Mullis said.

“Mila has such a gift with baking, and she used her skill and her gift to support the people that we serve,” she added.

“Meeting her for the first time was pretty neat, and I really love how this has evolved over the years.”

Mila said that her goal every year is to make at least one dollar more than the year previous.

Having made $408 more than last year, she certainly surpassed that goal this time around.

“I’m really happy that I get to share what I have with other people,” she said.