Hamilton men wax-off for KidsCan

Eleven brave men endured tears and pain for KidsCan, an organisation that supplies hungry school children with lunch, by having their chest, back and legs waxed.

The fundraising event held at The Bank Bar was organised by Hamilton man Daara Parkinson and raised $1120 on the day and $1650 overall.

“It was great to see a group of young guys putting themselves forward, bodies on the line, for a great cause,” Parkinson said.  “The mammoth effort made by everyone involved was well worth every cent.

“As for the pain threshold, there were some lads that had emotionless robot-syndrome, but let’s just say that I’m glad it’s something that I’d only do once a lifetime as the pain I experienced was near unbearable.”

KidsCan aim is to provide lunch to children in New Zealand’s primary schools currently going hungry during the school day.

Research by the University of Otago raised an issue that: “270,000 of our children live in households where incomes fall below recognised poverty thresholds. Many of these children experience significant material deprivation, and many remain poor for long periods of time.”

Parkinson created the fundraiser for KidsCan following Campbell Live’s “Lunchbox Day fundraiser” where New Zealanders could make a $3 donation, providing one lunch.

“I didn’t feel my contribution was merely enough, I felt that it wasn’t fair that some kids had to miss out on the basic necessities of life through no fault of their own.” Parkinson said.

The Bank Bar owner John Lawrenson made the bar available for the event.

The goal was to raise $1000 to provide the funds for KidsCan to distribute 333 lunches.

“Pure and simple, no child should have to go hungry.”