Hungry for Change 2014
All pledges supporting Action Against Hunger and the Round Square Prince Alexander Project Fund
Hungry for Change - Rachel Cannon, '16
Hungry For Change is an event that Collingwood Round Square students have been organizing and leading for years. It’s a tradition of making a statement and getting perspective. Students participate in a 30 hour fast to raise money and awareness about the problem that hunger is causing in the world. This year we had 45 participants and together we managed to raise $2300. We gave this money to Action Against Hunger and the Prince Alexander Project Building Fund; both organizations work to help the less fortunate and were causes that we as students felt strongly about. The experience of going without food was eye-opening and by the end of it, most of us were complaining and feeling pretty sorry for ourselves. The idea that people go through that every day was startling and made us realize that our famine was nothing compared to their struggle. We managed to have fun all the same, playing games, painting nails, watching How I Met Your Mother and listening to some awesome live music. There were crafts, trivia and a scavenger hunt. The activities were both educating and amusing. The whole event was kick-started by a presentation from Dorothy Rhee. She talked about her experience in India, giving us a real look at how lucky we are to have what we do and how easy it is to help those who really need it. It only takes a small effort from everyone to make an enormous change. Going without food was hard, but the feeling we got knowing our money could prevent someone else from feeling that way was unparalleled.
A reflection from participant Lucas Philipp, '16
Every morning at 6:30am, when the sun is just begging to rise, I get out of bed and start the day early with a light meal in my pyjamas. Before I’m able to get dressed or to have a shower, I must first have my breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal because it supplies us with the nutrients we need to start our day and helps to curb hunger until lunch. Breakfast is essentially how we break our fast every morning. During Hungry for Change we fasted for 30 hours. Expecting someone to function normally after being deprived of food for that long is unreasonable; we all were affected by it, and believe me when I say that it was a struggle to do even the most simplest of things. In other parts of the world people are hungry because they do not have enough food to eat. They must fast for long periods of time patiently awaiting their next meal. World hunger is a severe problem that affects many parts of the world, and through this movement, Hungry for Change hoped to raise awareness and funds towards the betterment of the cause.
My personal experience during the fast was that I found it hard to focus. In class, it took extra concentration in order to listen. I was often distracted by the thought of food and eating, but that only made me hungrier. I was exhausted by suppertime and found it difficult to motivate myself to do my homework. After a while hunger had been replaced by tiredness, and waking up in the morning to go to basketball practice took determination and perseverance. But putting the discomfort aside, when it was over I did not regret my decision. I know that my friends felt the same way. When we broke our fast at lunch I ate as much as my stomach could handle, and the food tasted great. To top it off we had an evening of fun and games and we got to wear casual clothes instead of uniform. I highly recommend participating because it is a great way to earn service and it’s an enjoyable experience that’ll change the way you look at food; especially if you’ve never fasted before!
Lucas Philipp, ‘16
A reflection from participant Joy Hou, '17
Hunger has certainly been one of the world’s biggest obstacles to overcome. For those who are less fortunate, hunger isn’t just a few steps away in the kitchen. Every year, this kills more people than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. The “Hungry for Change” initiative is a 30-hour fast devoted to raise awareness for world hunger.
After a big breakfast, the fast officially started for me at 7:00 AM in the morning. A few hours later, the hunger began to slowly creep up on me, and I felt like giving up. I didn’t know how I would be able to function for a whole other day. Every time I felt the urge to eat, I would just think about how at that very moment, someone across the world could be dying of hunger. This motivated me to keep on pushing through the day. After school, all the participants attended the planned activities. Everyone was worn out, tired, and extremely hungry; but after a guest presentation, a scavenger hunt, movies, and manicures, it took the hunger out of our heads and we were able to hang out with friends and enjoy ourselves. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. This year, a total of 45 students participated in this initiative. It is a really eye-opening experience to put yourselves in others’ shoes, raise funds and it’s also a great way to earn service hours and spend time with your friends!”
Joy Hou, '17
Hungry For Change is an event that Collingwood Round Square students have been organizing and leading for years. It’s a tradition of making a statement and getting perspective. Students participate in a 30 hour fast to raise money and awareness about the problem that hunger is causing in the world. This year we had 45 participants and together we managed to raise $2300. We gave this money to Action Against Hunger and the Prince Alexander Project Building Fund; both organizations work to help the less fortunate and were causes that we as students felt strongly about. The experience of going without food was eye-opening and by the end of it, most of us were complaining and feeling pretty sorry for ourselves. The idea that people go through that every day was startling and made us realize that our famine was nothing compared to their struggle. We managed to have fun all the same, playing games, painting nails, watching How I Met Your Mother and listening to some awesome live music. There were crafts, trivia and a scavenger hunt. The activities were both educating and amusing. The whole event was kick-started by a presentation from Dorothy Rhee. She talked about her experience in India, giving us a real look at how lucky we are to have what we do and how easy it is to help those who really need it. It only takes a small effort from everyone to make an enormous change. Going without food was hard, but the feeling we got knowing our money could prevent someone else from feeling that way was unparalleled.
A reflection from participant Lucas Philipp, '16
Every morning at 6:30am, when the sun is just begging to rise, I get out of bed and start the day early with a light meal in my pyjamas. Before I’m able to get dressed or to have a shower, I must first have my breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal because it supplies us with the nutrients we need to start our day and helps to curb hunger until lunch. Breakfast is essentially how we break our fast every morning. During Hungry for Change we fasted for 30 hours. Expecting someone to function normally after being deprived of food for that long is unreasonable; we all were affected by it, and believe me when I say that it was a struggle to do even the most simplest of things. In other parts of the world people are hungry because they do not have enough food to eat. They must fast for long periods of time patiently awaiting their next meal. World hunger is a severe problem that affects many parts of the world, and through this movement, Hungry for Change hoped to raise awareness and funds towards the betterment of the cause.
My personal experience during the fast was that I found it hard to focus. In class, it took extra concentration in order to listen. I was often distracted by the thought of food and eating, but that only made me hungrier. I was exhausted by suppertime and found it difficult to motivate myself to do my homework. After a while hunger had been replaced by tiredness, and waking up in the morning to go to basketball practice took determination and perseverance. But putting the discomfort aside, when it was over I did not regret my decision. I know that my friends felt the same way. When we broke our fast at lunch I ate as much as my stomach could handle, and the food tasted great. To top it off we had an evening of fun and games and we got to wear casual clothes instead of uniform. I highly recommend participating because it is a great way to earn service and it’s an enjoyable experience that’ll change the way you look at food; especially if you’ve never fasted before!
Lucas Philipp, ‘16
A reflection from participant Joy Hou, '17
Hunger has certainly been one of the world’s biggest obstacles to overcome. For those who are less fortunate, hunger isn’t just a few steps away in the kitchen. Every year, this kills more people than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. The “Hungry for Change” initiative is a 30-hour fast devoted to raise awareness for world hunger.
After a big breakfast, the fast officially started for me at 7:00 AM in the morning. A few hours later, the hunger began to slowly creep up on me, and I felt like giving up. I didn’t know how I would be able to function for a whole other day. Every time I felt the urge to eat, I would just think about how at that very moment, someone across the world could be dying of hunger. This motivated me to keep on pushing through the day. After school, all the participants attended the planned activities. Everyone was worn out, tired, and extremely hungry; but after a guest presentation, a scavenger hunt, movies, and manicures, it took the hunger out of our heads and we were able to hang out with friends and enjoy ourselves. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. This year, a total of 45 students participated in this initiative. It is a really eye-opening experience to put yourselves in others’ shoes, raise funds and it’s also a great way to earn service hours and spend time with your friends!”
Joy Hou, '17