Sharbot Lake students go hungry for famine relief

Sharbot Lake students with Erica Kresin and Dave Gervais at the annual 30 Hour Famine event at Sharbot Lake high school

On April 16 & 17, 88 students at Sharbot Lake High School completed the 15th annual 30-Hour Famine, a two-day, overnight fundraiser for World Vision Canada, and together raised $4700 for Haitian relief.

Back in March Alexis O’Neill of World Vision came to the school to speak about the 30-Hour Famine fundraiser’s focus on Haitian relief this year and it did not take long before 65 students at the school signed up to participate. 

The students spent 30 hours at the school on Friday and Saturday and did not eat solid food for the duration of the event in order to better empathize with those in the world who unfortunately go hungry on a daily basis.

The famine, sponsored by a number of area businesses and individuals from Sharbot Lake, Ompah, Plevna, Harrowsmith, Perth, and Kingston, included various activities to keep participants active and busy. A Friday night dance was held in the cafeteria and the famine ended with a celebratory lunch on Saturday.

The school event evolved 15 years ago from a social science project in Mr. Giller’s geography class when five students from Arden decided that they would participate in the 30-Hour Famine. The event caught on and has continued every year since.
Dave Gervais, a retired science teacher from the school, helped organize this year’s event. He explained that it is an important way for students to recognize that huge numbers of people across the world do not enjoy the luxury of eating the way that we do. When I spoke to him during the event at the school he explained,  “I think the event is something that the school should be really proud of, especially the fact that it encourages the students to develop a social conscience.”

Sharbot Lake science teacher Erica Kresin reiterated the importance of “giving the students a chance to experience the empathy and see what it feels like to go hungry.”
For Grade 12 student Tracey Myers it was her third and final year as a participant in the famine and she alone raised $785 for the cause. “I knew it would be my last year participating so I thought I should make it my best so I gave it my all.”

To date the event has raised over $100,000 for World Vision since the school has been participating in the event.