From May 5 to May 6 students from Wheatland Crossing School went hungry for a little while to help raise awareness for local food insecurity.

Wheatland Crossing’s Student Council has also chosen to take a local focus on the event this year by supporting the Wheatland County Food Bank.

The school revived their own 30-hour famine that they have completed previously for nearly a decade. In the past, Grade 9 to 12 students have rained over $10,000 to support local and international food issues.

This time the school raised $1633.35 for the food bank. On May 5 and 6th students who participated in the famine gave up their phones and food from Thursday morning until Friday at 8 a.m.

The students spent the night at the school for a sleepover, where they learned about the need for solutions to global food issues and participate in a number of planned student and teacher-led activities.

According to the school, the event focuses not just on raising money, but also on raising awareness of hunger issues and food insecurity in our communities and the broader world.

Grade 12 student Jason Slemko spoke about why he wanted to participate in the 30-hour famine.

“I thought it would be neat to participate in the school event, and it gives a little bit of an opportunity to walk a little in the shoes of people who are less fortunate.” He explained that the event also raises funds locally and brings awareness to food insecurity locally.

Slemko noted that this is his school’s first chance to take part in the event because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was looking forward to taking part in some of the student and teacher-led activities at the school in the evening. And he was definitely looking forward to staying overnight at the school, “Because obviously you don’t normally get to stay over at the school and there are lots of fun activities,” he said.

Slemko emphasized that when people think of food insecurity they don’t really think of it happening in their own backyard.

“Lots of people don't really know that there's. also food insecurity locally. When you think food insecurity lots of people think overseas and other places, but there's lots of stuff happening right here in our community and that's why there's such a thing as the Wheatland County Food Bank that we're going to be donating to,” he said.

“Especially over COVID, with people losing jobs. There's more food insecurity lately in the local area that we're trying to support and help people out with here,” he said.

The goal was to have at least 30 students fundraise $30 each in donations which will bring the school halfway to its goal of $1500 for the Wheatland County Food Bank.

 

 

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