The Humber Polytechnic community showed off its wealth of talent while raising thousands of dollars to fight student food insecurity through Humber’s Got Talent.
The event, held in the LinX Lounge on Giving Tuesday, had seven Humber staff and faculty performing live that afternoon. Money raised from the event is being donated to the Humber Student Food Security Fund.
Jacqueline Morgan, director, Strategy and Innovation with the Office of the Dean of Students, said students supported by the fund receive the equivalent of a $5 subsidy per weekday to purchase food on campus. For example, in the fall semester, students received the equivalent of $25 a week for 15 weeks.
“The Humber Student Food Security Fund increases dignity for learners who are experiencing food insecurity,” said Morgan. "It was heartwarming to see teams from Humber supporting their colleagues in the show. It's a great cause and, as an educational institution, we're all here to support students and their post-secondary experience. This event was one way to do that."
More than 100 people attended in-person with more than 30 watching the livestream.
In total, $3,800 was raised for the fund, far surpassing its original goal of $1,000. That translates to 780 days of food subsidy for students.
The idea for Humber’s Got Talent started when Dave Smiderle, associate dean, Continuous Professional Learning with the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology (FAST), approached Morgan about performing live to support the fund. Morgan took that idea and grew the event into its final iteration.
In addition to Smiderle, who played guitar and sang, there were other performances including Information Technology Services support staff Shierel Caoagas who played guitar and sang while Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences faculty member Lisa Pfau gave a spoken word poetry performance.
Advancement & Alumni support staff Peter Tan sang, FAST faculty member Pooja Singh gave a Bollywood dance performance, Finance admin Shristi Shrestha performed a Nepalese dance and Student Success and Engagement support staff Oscar Gonzalez sang.
Morgan said there are two ways to support the Humber Student Food Security Fund for those who missed Humber’s Got Talent. Each time they buy a meal in a reusable Friendlier container; they have an option to donate the 50-cent deposit to the fund through the Friendlier app. They can also visit the Humber Gives website and make a donation to the fund.