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For too many years, young Shania Twain
experienced the pangs of hunger. Now she's waging a war against it. "My whole childhood, my whole school life, I basically went
to school without a lunch every day. I often went to bed hungry," says
Shania. "Food, for me, is a luxury." "I definitely hid it at school," recalls the woman who
became country's biggest crossover superstar of the '90s. "Sometimes my
Dad would make me a lunch of mustard sandwiches that I could take to school
and that was enough. Sometimes I'd just tell people 'I'm not hungry,' or 'I
forgot my lunch.' I was embarrassed." Her hardships left a lasting
impression. To ensure that children don't suffer the same Now that she's country's hottest star, she's finally able to
fulfill that ambition. But this is no fleeting urge to do a good deed. Shania
has mounted an organized campaign to battle hunger that an army general would
envy. The game plan includes: ! Royalties of her recording "God Bless The
Child," are split between two organizations -- Second Harvest Kids Cafe
in the U.S. and the Canadian Living Foundation. ! Presenting each organization with a check for $50,000. ! Donating a portion of all proceeds from T-shirt,
calendar and poster sales. ! Raising awareness by performing "God Bless The
Child" nightly on her recent 166-date world tour. ! Donating tickets to every concert for local food bank
raffles. ! Quietly contributing tens of thousands of dollars in
private donations. "Now, I'm in a position where I can help many
families," she explains. "I want to be sure kids get this money, so
I donate it specifically through Second Harvest Food Bank for Kids Cafes in
America." Shania's generosity is paying off. The money she's raised has
helped launch 22 separate Kids Cafes programs across the nation. "Shania's been one of our biggest supporters," says
Carol Gifford, communications director for Second Harvest. "Throughout
1998 and 1999, Shania was able to raise an additional $250,000 for our food
banks through the donation of tickets to her concerts. She's certainly been
the most vocal celebrity participating in our cause in the past two or three
years." "Shania has played a pivotal role in helping us raise
awareness about the issue," adds Martha O'Connor, executive director of
the Canadian Living Foundation. Even Shania's fans are getting into the act by taking the
high-tech route through the Internet. "We got 80,000 visitors to
our website within the last month directly from Shania's websites," says
Gifford. "She certainly drives a lot of interest." "She's had a tremendous impact," agrees O'Connor.
"The awareness that she's raised through her concert tour has resulted in
others coming forward and making contributions, too. "In Ottawa,
one employee of a large computer company who went to a show, heard about our
program, told her company and they donated $40,000. Even Shania's crew is giving of themselves - literally. During
recent concerts in Tampa and West Palm Beach, Fla., Shania dragged out a
long-haired crew member and promised a $1000 donation for every inch of hair
she cut off his head. By the end of the shows, the Second Harvest Food Bank
was $12,000 richer. "That's Shania," says Gifford. "She typically
goes above and beyond. She's really helped us communicate the message that
hunger exists in our country. She's the face of hunger that's been able to
get past her youth during the times when her family was needy." "Shania lends credibility," adds O'Connor. "She's
such an eloquent spokesperson for the cause because it really comes from the
heart." Shania's mission is a deeply personal one that stems from
an impoverished childhood. She hasn't forgotten the hunger pains that haunted
her.
"I have had some harsh lessons on the frailty of human
life. But through it all, I still believe that love and happiness are the
most important things and to never lose sight of them. Life passes us by very
quickly whether we are happy or unhappy." Music was one of her few pleasures. "We were extremely poor
when I was a kid and I used to just sing and play guitar in my bedroom as an
escape," Shania notes. "My parents got me out of the house, and I
performed everywhere they could get me booked - every TV station, every radio
station, every community center, every old-age home." When Shania's parents were tragically killed in a car accident,
life became even tougher. Only 21, she took on the responsibility of raising
her two younger brothers and sister. She landed a job as a singer at the
Deerhurst Resort in Muskoka, a six-hour drive from her hometown in Timmins,
Ontario. "The first house we moved into had no water," she
notes. "I couldn't afford a place in town so I found this place in the
country. There were no locks on the doors. I couldn't afford curtains. I
bought all my furniture from Deerhurst at an auction." "We had to take big coolers down to the river in our truck
to get our water. I even used to do laundry there. It was terrible. But we
stayed six months." It was only after her siblings moved out of the nest that Shania
turned her attention to Nashville. And the rest, as they say, is history. Now
Shania lives in a Swiss castle with her husband - and songwriting producer -
"Mutt" Lange, and the world is at her feet. Over the past year, her
star has enjoyed a spectacular rise. She's won countless awards - including
the CMA's prestigious Entertainer of the Year and two Grammys - and graced
dozens of entertainment, fashion and lifestyle magazine covers. Her album Come
On Over has sold an astonishing 16 million copies. Her two top-rated TV
specials captured record numbers of viewers. And Madison Avenue has come calling. Cosmetic giant Revlon
signed Shania to an exclusive contract and built a $50 million campaign
around her glamorous look and her hit song "Man! I Feel Like A
Woman."
Shania's heart was never bigger than at her hometown concert
last summer. All the proceeds for the show were split between four charities,
including the local hospital and the South Porcupine Food Bank. "Shania's a godsend," says Mike Cootts, the food
bank's president, who estimates that Shania's donations total more than
$20,000. "She's certainly one who hasn't forgotten the people or the
area that she came from. Her donations help us feed up to 600 families a month
for a population of 45,000." And Shania's generosity doesn't stop with the hungry. She
regularly visits hospitals and meets children from the Make-A-Wish
Foundation. After last April's Columbine High School massacre, Shania quietly
visited injured teens in Denver. "We do what we can," she said modestly, "to visit
and help out." Shania also performed at the Amnesty International Concert for
Human Rights Defenders, as well as the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony last year. But hunger remains her top concern. "It's something that's personal to me," Shania said.
"And it's an obvious choice. I support hungry children locally through
the concerts. It's something I do everywhere I go in the world. There are too
many out there who need money and need help. "I'm now actually able to
give back some of the things," says the superstar millionairess,
"I've always dreamed of giving."
Many thanks to Country Weekly
for granting Person 2 Person permission to republish this article from
the January 25, 2000 issue! To see the
rest of the article, which shows the charitable activity of many of Shania's
country music friends, Find out more
about Second Harvest Food Bank by visiting their web site: |
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