Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Waking up in a dew-dampened cardboard box following a not-so-restful night’s sleep with only juice and milk to drink was a real eye-opener for eight Aroostook County kids who recently participated in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine.
TO HELP UNDERSTAND the plight many homeless people go through, eight Aroostook County kids recently slept in cardboard boxes for the night as they participated in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine. In addition to sleeping outside, the students voluntarily went 30 hours without food as a way to experience what it’s like for impoverished people in Third World countries, while at the same time raising money for people in Burundi, Africa. Pictured are, from left: Michaela Dubé, Isaac Adams and Jason Sprague. The event was held at the Grant Memorial United Methodist Church in Presque Isle.
The students voluntarily went 30 hours without food as a way to experience what it’s like for impoverished people in Third World countries, while at the same time raising money for people in Burundi, Africa.
Organized by Michaela Dubé, a freshman at Presque Isle High School, the Sept. 7-8 event was held at the Grant Memorial United Methodist Church, which Dubé attends.
“We did this last year, and I wanted to do it again,” she said. “I saw a video during church about the famine and it seemed really interesting. We weren’t just like, ‘Let’s raise money for people in Africa because they’re starving.’ It was more like, ‘Let’s experience it.’ It seemed more meaningful to me. I hope this can be an annual event.
“Those of us participating collected pledges from our friends and family and people at our church, and we’re donating that money to people in Burundi,” said Dubé. “I chose that country because there’s a lot of famine and drought issues, plus they’re having a lot of civil war issues.”
The students didn’t eat anything following lunch at school that Friday and the 30 hours concluded at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
“I had a ham and cheese sandwich and a whoopie pie for lunch,” said Dubé, who by 2:15 p.m. Saturday said — on a scale of 1-10 — her hunger pangs were at a 5. “It’s when I sit and think about it that I feel hungrier. If I’m doing stuff, my stomach hurts a little bit and that’s about it.
“Taking part in the famine makes you realize what you have and that others aren’t so lucky,” she said. “Even being able to have water from your tap makes you realize how much difference there is between surviving and how we live.”
This was the second year that Jason Sprague, a sophomore at Limestone Community School, participated in the famine.
“It’s a great way to experience what people who are hungry go through,” he said. “On a scale of 1-10, I’d say I’m at a 6. I usually eat breakfast, so when I woke up this morning I kind of missed eating. I’m definitely looking forward to eating again tonight.”
It was also Sprague’s 15th birthday.
“I’ll always remember this birthday,” he said. “I’m excited to be able to tell my family and friends about my experiences. I hope we can do this again next year.”
Sprague’s mother and two aunts — as a show of support — also opted to fast for 30 hours.
To further understand the hardships many people go through, the students spent the night in cardboard boxes.
“It was very uncomfortable. The boxes got really soggy from the dew and my pillow and sleeping bag were wet,” said Dubé. “The ground wasn’t that comfortable and you’re contained inside the box and can’t really move at all. I didn’t get a lot of sleep.
“It’s hard to think that every night — for some people — that’s their home, but everyone I know goes to sleep in a bed,” she said. “In Third World countries, people mostly sleep on the floor of a mud house, but we couldn’t duplicate that so we went with the boxes. It really puts things into perspective.”
The 30 Hour Famine also included a community service component. On Saturday morning, the students went to The Raven Center, a food pantry located at 18 Roberts St. in Presque Isle, where they packed and later delivered food boxes to residents in town.
“We split into groups and went to homes all over Presque Isle that use the food pantry to get some of their food for the month because they can’t afford to buy it,” said Dubé. “It was really interesting seeing how many people just in Presque Isle use pantries like that. It’s a small pantry, but they go to over 200 homes.”
This was the first time Grace McCrum, a seventh-grader at Cornerstone Christian Academy, took part in the famine.
“A few days before, my friend Libbee called me and asked if I wanted to come with her,” said McCrum. “I was kind of scared at first … wasn’t quite sure … but my Mom told me that there would be something in my devotions, and it ended up being about people who were hungry, so I decided to do it. I felt that God wanted me to do it and help those who are less fortunate than us.”
McCrum, whose “last meal” was an omelet and blueberry shake, said she didn’t feel overly hungry by Saturday afternoon.
“It’s really not that bad,” she said. “The sleeping outside part was worse. My church does an annual event where we sleep in tents, do activities and a devotional, so it was kind of similar, but the box was much smaller than a tent. I got wet because of the dew. It was pretty uncomfortable.”
By participating in the 30 Hour Famine, McCrum said she realized that “we could be doing a lot more for people.”
“I think I want to help out at The Raven Center more,” she said. “It’s a good way of giving back and helping others. I’ll probably invite some of my friends to participate next time because it would be a good experience for them to see how people are suffering and how we can help.”
To occupy the participants, a variety of educational games were held throughout the weekend.
Following a communion service, the kids were treated to a spaghetti supper hosted by their parents.
Participating in the famine were Libbee Currie, Grace McCrum, Michaela Dubé, Alex Sprague, Jared Harvey, Jacob Adams, Jason Sprague and Isaac Adams. Churches represented included the Limestone United Methodist Church, Grant Memorial United Methodist Church and the Crouseville Advent Christian Church.
For more information about the worldwide event, log onto www.30hourfamine.org.
PARTICIPATING IN WORLD VISION’S 30 Hour Famine Sept. 7-8 were, from left, front row: Libbee Currie of Presque Isle, Grace McCrum of Washburn, Michaela Dubé of Chapman and Alex Sprague of Limestone. Back row: Jared Harvey of Fort Fairfield, Jacob Adams of Mapleton, Jason Sprague of Limestone and Isaac Adams of Mapleton. The students went 30 hours without eating and spent the night in cardboard boxes to learn firsthand the challenges impoverished people go through. Churches represented included the Limestone United Methodist Church, Grant Memorial United Methodist Church and the Crouseville Advent Christian Church.
