The sounds of growling stomachs echoed through the halls of Bayside Secondary School the evening of Friday, May 29, 2015 and again Saturday morning as over 220 students coped with going without food for 24 hours in order to raise money for community food banks.
At the 24 Hours for Hunger opening ceremonies, hosted by student co-chairs Mara Whitford and Hailey Proud, representatives from various community food organizations spoke about the problem of hunger in our community and praised the students for making a difference.
As a result of students' efforts, $23,000 will be shared with food banks in Trenton, Belleville and Stirling, as well as Bayside's Food for Learning program.
Students who participated in the event had lots of fun activities to distract them from their hunger. Bayside's 24 Hour for Hunger committee members organized a scavenger hunt, dance-a-thons, movie marathons, sports in the gymnasium, nail art, karaoke and more. For those who chose to sleep for at least part of the evening, tent cities were set up in the cafeteria for girls and the English area for boys.
The Wolf Pack team consisting of Summer Moore, Alex Roy, Richard Harris, Cole Goodchild and Paul Beaurivage, earned the designation "Dream Team"for being the team to raise the most money, while Nick Williams raised the most as an individual. Their special status earned them a VIP lounge area and special treats at breakfast.
As the smells of breakfast wafted through the halls, participants truly realized what it is like to go without food and they better understood the plight of community members who experience food insecurity.
This event was a fabulous success due to the hard work of the amazing 24 Hours for Hunger Committee. Co-chairs Hailey Proud and Mara Whitford spent countless hours organizing donations, events, and grocery needs. They were supported by the following committee members: Alex Boyce, Brenden Clarke, Morgan Dodson, Tirzah Fillmore, Breanna Gracie, Autumn McLellan, Morgan McLellan, Kaylea Pham, Michael Terpstra, and Victoria Waterfall, and Dallin Whitford.
For more information, please contact:
Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, 613-966-1170 or 1 800 267-4350, extension 2354, [email protected]