Nantyr students face 30 hour hunger challenge
By Chris Simon

Photo by Chris Simon Nantyr Secondary School students Ashley Walker, left, and Lisa Shadid stir a pot of rice during their participation in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine last week.

Several hours into a fast, Lisa Shadid still wasn't hungry.

Perhaps it was the pancake breakfast from earlier that morning still tiding her over, or maybe the thoughts of others having it much worse kept pushing her on. Either way, the Grade 12 Nantyr Shores Secondary School student attended classes, and participated in activities with over 110 peers during the school's annual World Vision 30 Hour Famine.

"I participated in the famine last year, and thought it was a great idea," she said, as several of her peers sat in a darkened school library, watching videos, chatting or playing video games. "We waste so much food and money everyday, and people are kind of ignorant to how easy we have it. We need to let people know how important it is to help other people out. They need us."

The students joined millions of people across the world participating in the famine, in hopes of raising money for World Vision. At Nantyr, participating students were asked to raise at least $30 for the international charitable organization, which helps feed people in impoverished, developing countries.

Nantyr organizers hope to raise over $3,000 for World Vision, said teacher Stephanie Cryer.

"We had a lot of students collecting pledges," she said. "We started a World Awareness Club this year, and the kids involved in that really wanted to find some way to contribute to our global community. They heard about the famine and really wanted to take it on."

The famine has gained popularity since it started at Nantyr last year. In 2007, about 30 students participated. However, that number has jumped to 115 this year, said Cryer.

"It's great to see them volunteering and doing community service," she said. "They really took it and ran with it. It really did expand quickly from what we originally anticipated. But it's great to see the students wanting to make a positive impact."

Participants were served breakfast Thursday morning, and a cup of plain white rice later that afternoon. They were also provided unlimited juice or water throughout the day.

But the famine teaches students the importance of giving, and helps them realize the plight of millions of people across the world.

According to World Vision, more than 852 million people are considered malnourished worldwide, with most living in developing countries.

"It's a great way for them to realize how serious some of the global issues are," said Cryer. "It helps them realize they're a very small part of the world. Sometimes in school, they start to feel everything revolves around them; this really reminds them there's more going on in the world."