Glen Dhu Invites You to join "Skip - A - Snack"

Feb 29, 2012 at 3:14 PM by Garry Howe

I want you to think back to your last meal or snack. How long ago was that? Was the taste or aroma pleasing to you? Can you visualize what it looked like? Were you satisfied after you ate or were you disappointed with it in any way?

How often do we even reflect on what we eat? As I sit down to write this note I have a Tim’s coffee on one side of me (free donut??) and Caramilk chocolate bar on the other. Will it be enough to sustain me through this task? I find myself not even thinking about what I’m consuming as I motor along in my day. Eating and drinking have become simply automatic for me as my day happens.

For millions of children around the world, eating is anything but automatic. It can become a daily struggle and unfortunately for some there is simply no food available for that day. Imagine putting your child to bed at night with an empty stomach… hoping and praying that tomorrow will be different. Imagine your child so sick and weak from starvation that you are not sure if there will even be a tomorrow for them. This is a reality for many families.

•Every year 15 million children die of hunger

What if your child was one of them?

At Glen Dhu P.S. we have engaged our students in a project called “Skip - A - Snack”. It began as a response to the 30 Hour Famine program which World Vision have used to impact youth in almost every country. With that program high school and university/college students fast for 30 hours to empathize with those around the world who go hungry, and at the same time raise money for World Vision to help feed children.

The students at Glen Dhu wanted to do something like this, but the problem was that 30 hours was simply too long for this age group. With some creative discussion and strategic thinking we came up with the idea of the “Skip - A - Snack” project. The idea was simply to have the students give up their snack for one morning or afternoon, and make a donation to World Vision to support the fight against global hunger. This proved to be a very easy method to get the message across, and at the same time allowed the students to feel good about contributing in a tangible way to making a positive difference in the world.

We see the “Skip - A - Snack” program as accomplishing three important objectives:

1)Students and staff take a time-out for 10 to 15 minutes to think about and/or pray for those who go hungry every day.

2)Participants are able to empathize, if even in a brief way, with those who experience extreme hunger

3)Donations such as loonies, toonies, or food bank items are brought in to help those in need of food.

It is the hope and desire of the staff and students at our school that you will join us as participants in this very worthwhile cause.

Skip - A - Snack is a very simple activity, which will not only make a difference for those who are in need, but will also have a meaningful impact on those who participate.

Garry Howe