A COUPLE from Bradford are getting ready to participate in a crazy ration challenge.
Next month (June 13 - 19), Darren and Becky Berry, of BD7, will embark on a charity task set to push them to the limit.
For the full week, the pair, who have three children, will be living off a typical Syrian refugee’s diet.
Each of them has received a 1.5kg ration pack which contains 420g of rice, 170g of lentils, 85g of dried chickpeas, a 120g can of sardines and a 400g tin of kidney beans.
Vegetable oil (330ml), rice (1.5kg) and flour (400g) coupons are also included in the package.
The programme provides refugees with a small income, so they can add other food items to their basic rations.
The Berry's and co. won’t have time to grow their own vegetables or set up a business, so instead, they can earn extra ingredients based on how much is fundraised, such as for every five people that sponsor them, a single teabag can be used, £75 gets you unlimited salt, and the ultimate prize of £850 means a hot or cold drink (330ml) will be available.
Darren said: “You can choose how to use that ration pack over the week.
“I have spoken to people who have done it before and they say rice isn’t the problem, flavour is. The tastiest thing we have got is a tin of sardines.
“I have already experimented with some of the dishes. I thought I would use garlic powder on some boiled rice, and it was horrible. So, it was a good job I tried that out before we started.
“People have said once you get halfway through the challenge you start reflecting and get quite emotional.
“Others have said if you are a coffee drinker, cut down on your caffeine now. That is going to be hard just drinking water.”
The Ration Challenge, in partnership with Concern Worldwide, was born seven years ago and since then more than 99,000 people around the world have raised over £10 million to support disaster-affected communities, providing emergency food, healthcare and life-saving support.
Already in 2021, £229,448 has been raised in the UK, enough to feed 1,390 refugees for a year.
Darren added: “This challenge caught my eye, it was something that I didn’t know too much about.
"We thought we needed to get the word out about this charity. Even if we don’t make loads of money, we have created awareness.
“Our target was a minimum of £100. After putting our story in a Facebook group, all these people that we have never met before were donating. We are nearly at £200 now.”
You can donate by going to:
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel