Canadian rockers Arkells have launched a couple of new merch items in support of the Toronto District School Board and its healthy breakfast programs for students.
The band are selling a green TDSB rope cap and a grey TDSB floppy dad hat at their official merch store, with artists and former TDSB students such as Steven Page, Noah Reid, and members of Blue Rodeo, PUP, The Beaches and Broken Social Scene joining in to promote.
On the site, frontman Max Kerman penned a note, stating that the idea came from seeing his mom, a retired TDSB special education teacher, work “to create a safe and engaging place for kids often dealing with difficult circumstances in their lives. She made a difference — and gave parents the comfort of knowing their child was cared for,” he writes.
“Now, I wear the hat for all teachers, in recognition of both the challenges they face and the dignity of the work they do,” he continues. “Public education isn’t simple and doesn’t erase differences we bring into the classroom, but at its best, it asks us not to look away from them.”
“So I made a hat,” he explains. “A tip of the cap! Wearing it has sparked countless conversations with teachers, parents and alumni. People seem genuinely excited to see it out in the wild — a little symbol of an institution that belongs to everybody. A nation-building project that, when we invest in it, shapes the kind of Canadians we become: people who look out for each other.”
Kerman sent the TDSB’s green apple logo to the person who makes all of the Arkells merch, and asked for some “cool-looking” vintage caps they could sell.
Speaking to CTV News, Kerman says, “This is a symbol that is available to everybody, and shouldn’t we nourish those symbols? Shouldn’t we champion those symbols? I hate exclusivity, but especially when it comes to kids, and the idea that some kids are living an exclusive life and others aren’t, is something I think we can all do something about.”
“I had a really positive experience in school,” Kerman adds. “It was a real good mix of people and I think it’s really shaped the way I see the world and the interest I have in other people. I’m really grateful for that diversity of experience.”
All proceeds from the sales of the hats will go to Toronto Foundation for Student Success’s Student Nutrition Programs, which provides more than 284,000 healthy meals to students in Toronto every school day.
You can purchase a hat here.