By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
A group of volunteers driving multiple combines, tractors and trucks converged on a field just north of Warman on Thursday, August 27 to help complete a grain harvest that will raise funds for the faith-based organization Children’s Camps International, which sends kids to day camps in developing countries.
The local “Harvest for Kids” took place mid-afternoon on a 120–acre plot near the junction between Range Road 3050 and Township Road 392. The land had been donated by a local resident and was seeded with barley, which was quickly harvested and shipped to a nearby feed mill.
Dave Thiessen, executive director of Harvest for Kids, said everyone helping with the harvest on August 27 were volunteers lending their time, equipment and fuel, as were the donors who prepared the field in springtime.
“Everybody does a little bit,” Thiessen noted. “We get together in February and somebody says, ‘I’ll seed it this year,’ and the next guy says, ‘I’ll spray it.’”
There are 10 such Harvest for Kids being carried out across Western Canada this year, said Thiessen, noting that another harvest was occurring that same day out in Manitoba. Another will occur in a couple of weeks on a canola field near Hepburn.
While it is still fairly early in the harvest season, Thiessen stressed that these individuals could all be working on their own operations; after all, crops like peas and lentils do need to get harvested soon, or they will lose quality.
“They’re here because they think it is more important. They have been entrusted with resources, and they just want to take care of others,” he said.
“This is for a lot of people not work, and it’s not a sacrifice. This is making a difference in the world and they love it.”
As alluded to earlier, “Harvest for Kids” is the fundraising arm of Children’s Camps International, a Christian organization that partners with churches in Asia and South America.
Over the past 20 years, a number of record-setting ‘Harvests for Kids’ have been hosted throughout Canada, including one massive effort in 2018 that took place near Winkler, Manitoba and involved 303 combines.
The website for Children’s Camps International suggests they work with local pastors and help train them to reach young people through day camps.
Thiessen said working with local leaders is a key part of their work as they are best equipped to understand what will appeal to local youth.
“Bringing in a North American-style camp is not going to work … You’ve got to bring them something that will attract the kids to the right way,” said Thiessen.
Nevertheless, all the camps usually involve some fun activities and meals for the children, not unlike vacation Bible schools held in Canada.
While this is a charitable venture, Thiessen suggested that one of their aims is self-sufficiency – helping both the camps and the children reach a point where they aren’t dependent on North American dollars.
“I’ve seen some countries that become dependent on us, and I don’t want them to be dependent. I want to teach them, empower them and then get out of the way,” he said.
A combine bearing the flag of Cambodia harvests barley from a field north of Warman on Thursday, August 27 as part of a local ‘Harvest for Kids’ fundraiser. The proceeds from this harvest go to Children’s Camp International, a Christian organization that puts on summer camps in various developing countries, one of which is Cambodia.
Harvested barley is deposited in the back of a truck for transportation to a nearby mill. The equipment used in the August 27 Harvest for Kids was all donated by local farmers and companies, as was the grain itself.