Few fast for hunger
by Kelsey Hipkin
Photo by Kelsey Hipkin. Social Justice Club executives Priscilla Tang (left) and Jessica Cameron (centre), along with 30 Hour Famine participant Robert Marshall-Ward, are ready to dig in after 30 hours without food.
In early March, the Mount Royal Social Justice Club started handing out pledge sheets to students interested in raising money and taking part in Mount Royal’s 30 Hour Famine.
The World Vision – sponsored event is officially held on both Feb. 26-27 and April 23-24, but groups can also choose their own date. Participants fast for 30 hours – only drinks are allowed.
According to the official website, the fast will “bring your group closer together, feed hungry
children and change our world,” the idea being to experience
what so many hungry children all over the world go through on a daily basis.
“It’s something we participated
in last year,” said club co-executive
and journalism student Jessica Cameron.
Cameron said about 30 people signed up for the event but she wasn’t sure how many of that number had completed the famine.
At the time of publication, $300 had been raised online for World Vision but Cameron said the club was still waiting on cash donations to come in.
The famine started March 25 at noon, and later that day, participants
met up at the Clubs’ House on the third floor of Wyckham House to watch some short videos about World Vision, the sponsor of the famine.
“We didn’t have a very good turnout so there was some of us here last night (March 25). We just watched a few clips for World Vision and then I went over to the café,” said Cameron.
That café is Justice Café Calgary on 17th Avenue S.W. Once a month, the café focuses on different aspects of social justice.
Famine participants were encouraged to go, but Cameron was the only participant to attend.
At the famine windup on March 27 at 6 p.m., only three people were in attendance for the break-the-fast meal of pizza and soda – two of whom were the club’s co-executives, Cameron and Priscilla Tang.
“I kind of wish there was more people to come…to the actual events,” said Cameron speaking of the videos and Justice Café.
“But I do understand…it’s getting to be to the end of the semester; people have final projects
and people have work commitments
and stuff like that so I think if we do it again next year I think we’ll try and do an earlier date to try and see if we can get more people.”
First-year student, Robert Marshall-Ward was in attendance
for the famine wrap-up.
“I just I wanted to help out,” he said. “I just wanted to give back in a way.”
Cameron, Tang and Marshall-Ward all said they drank mostly water and juice during the famine,
but the three were in good spirits and for the most part felt “pretty good” after going 30 hours without food.
On April 10, the club is holding a human trafficking awareness event from noon to 4 p.m.
