FAQs

When did this event start?

The first 24 Hours to Play with Your Food event occurred in the fall of 2013.

Who started this event and what inspired it?

This event was started in 2013 by Matt Robertson as an homage to his late mother Evelyn (Eva) Robertson. Eva, or mom as most people called her, just wanted to feed the world. She was heavily involved in the food bank in rural Nova Scotia where she lived. One of her final acts of charity prior to passing was baking Christmas goodies in December of 2011.

Matt took his mom to Soul’s Harbour Rescue Mission to deliver them. She and the staff were all very moved and it was the seed of inspiration that prompted the PwYF event to honour her view that everyone deserved to eat. At that time, Matt was also involved in bringing the board game community together in Saskatchewan to form a community of board game enthusiasts to grow the hobby.

The growth of the board game community and the need to address food security needs created the foundation for the event Play with Your Food.

This event is a legacy to Evelyn Robertson’s desire to make the world a better place and an expression of gratitude, compassion, and empathy from the community of those who enjoy games and the art of play.

How much money has PwYF raised for Charity?

$13,682.88 – 2013 [Soul’s Harbour Rescue Mission]
$25,916.50 – 2014 [Soul’s Harbour Rescue Mission]
$38,274.51 – 2015 [Soul’s Harbour Rescue Mission]
$41,623.05 – 2016 [Soul’s Harbour Rescue Mission]
$33,332.05 – 2017 [Soul’s Harbour Rescue Mission]
$33,980.00 – 2018 [Soul’s Harbour Rescue Mission]
$26,000.06 – 2019 [Street Culture Kids]

Why is it called 24 Hours to Play with Your Food?

Teams register to play board games over a 24 hour period. Each team is responsible for 24 hours of gaming.

A team of 1, for instance, is committing to playing games the full 24 hours. Epic! A Team of 4 players could all play 6 hours or split the time up any way they want. The time that team members spend playing games can even be concurrent. Teams are encouraged to stay as long as they want and can end up playing more than a total of 24 hours for their team.

In the past, about 40% of the attendees ended up going the whole 24 hours. When you are having that much fun, why stop.

This is a FUNdraiser, how does the fundraising work?

Teams run mini-fundraising events. This event has a model of micro fundraising that is very successful because it is fun, innovative, and raises a lot of money with many smaller mini-events. Each team can approach fundraising in a variety of ways.

In the past, teams have been very creative in an assortment of ways, here is a partial list of events teams of run:

By running smaller events, there are many fun activities through the course of the year and each event is affordable. The money adds up over time, so the Micro-Fundraising model ends up being very effective and attendees are eager to participate as the FUN to Fundraising ratio is very favourable.

Is there a team member limit?

Each team can have 1-8 members.

When does the fundraising period begin and end?

The fundraising period is already in effect and closes on March 19, 2023. Any funds raised after this date will be attributed to next year’s event.

How much does our team need to fundraise?

Each team member is required to donate $30 to Carmichael Outreach as a “registration fee” in order to get formally registered. There is a general donation page setup to collect those donations located here: Donate Online

Once registered, each team must raise an additional minimum of $100 per team member to qualify to attend the 24 hour event on March 25/26, 2023.

Of course, $100/team member is just a minimum, teams are encouraged to raise much more.

Where does the fundraising money go?

All money raised goes to Carmichael Outreach, a charitable organization committed to fighting poverty and homelessness in Regina.

What if our team doesn’t meet the fundraising minimum?

This has never happened in the past events. It is much easier than you think to meet the minimum fundraising targets. If however, your team does not meet the minimum target, the team will not be able to participate in the incredible 24-hour event on March 25/26, 2023.

I am on a team of four people, and we did not raise enough money for our minimum. We did manage to raise enough money for a team of three people though. Can three of us attend the event?

Unfortunately, no. The team structure is in place to encourage teams to work together to achieve their goals. Teams must meet their minimum fundraising target for anyone on the team to be eligible to attend.

I‘m not sure I’m organized enough to plan and run any of the events listed above. Where do I start?

You would be surprised how easy these fundraising activities are to run. Basically, you do something you enjoy and charge a small fee for others to get involved.

The Play with Your Food planning committee has experience in the logistics of running events. We have established partnerships with local venues and businesses that can assist in bringing your events to life.

PwYF has a ready made community and a reputation for running quality fun activities. Your fundraising events will be communicated to our community and posted on our website. That makes it easier to connect people to the cool events your team will plan.

There are a lot of people looking for fun things to do, so let’s get going to bring your events to life today.

What if our team needs advice/help with an event?

Please reach out to any of the PwYF members on the organizing committee, we’d love to chat with you about how to go about reaching your fundraising goals.

How many events does our team need to host?

You can host as many or as few events as you wish! Your events can be as simple as a bottle drive or a hot dog sale up to an epic dodgeball tournament.

Can we partner with other teams to co-host events?

Yes, of course! We encourage anything that builds and develops our community.

How do I get started?

Visit the Teams page and follow the instructions! Welcome aboard!

How do I donate?

Visit the Donate page for more information on how to donate prizes or make a direct money contribution to the event.

How can I sponsor this event?

This event wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our local community!

Visit the Sponsor page to view the sponsorship levels and find out more information.

When is the cut-off date to register a team?

We close team registration three weeks prior to the event, so for the 2022-2023 event, registration closes at noon on Saturday, March 4th, 2023.

If I register a team with “X” number of players, can we later add more players to our team?

We encourage teams to register with all of their members up front, but we realize changes happen. Teams can add more members, up to a maximum of 8, but all additional team members increase the minimum fundraising target for the team by $200. This can only occur up to the registration cut-off which is noon on Saturday, March 4th, 2023.

If we registered a team, let’s say Joe/Julia and closer to the event we found out that Joe was unable to attend, can we sub in John to take his place?

We understand that life happens, in this case, get John to pay the registration fee of $30 to the general account and we can make the switch for the team roster for the event.

Can I register as an individual to be placed on a team?

If you would like to be matched with other participants to form a team, please let us know. There are always others looking to form a team. You are also welcome to participate and join in as a team of 1.

Is there an age limit?

Children aged 0-13 must be supervised by an adult at all times.
Ages 14+ are welcome to attend.

Is this a family friendly event?

This is a family friendly event, though children ages 0-13 must be supervised by an adult at all times.
As this is a 24 hour event, we recommend all children under the age of 14 be off the premises by 20:00 (8:00 pm).

Is there food at the 24 hour event?

Yes! A midnight lunch (free for attendees) will be served around 11:30pm, sponsored by Boston Pizza – Albert St. North location, and Carmichael Outreach will be providing a continental breakfast at 7:00am.
You are also welcome to bring your own food and snacks.

Please do not bring any alcohol to this event. If you’d like an adult beverage, please purchase drinks directly from The Owl.