These pumpkins perished with purpose — to smash stigma around mental illness
Brian Higgins | CBC News | Posted: October 31, 2016 6:00 PM | Last Updated: October 31, 2016
Students smash mental health stigma
Justin Wilson was among the first in line on Monday to smash a pumpkin to help smash mental health stigma.
The UPEI student stood on a blue tarp on the grassed commons at UPEI as he pulverized a helpless gourd with an aluminum baseball bat.
"There. That'll do it," said Wilson as he walked away.
He then pitched the bat aside, a la Jose Bautista.
50 pumpkins smashed
Wilson demolished one of about 50 pumpkins marked for smashing as part of this awareness-raising event.
"We want to get a conversation started about mental health on campus," said Amy Rix, event co-chair.
"Smashing these pumpkins reminds students we need to smash the stigma about mental health problems," she said.
"One in five Canadian university students have dealt with a mental health problem."
Mental health awareness
Rix is one of about 40 UPEI students who belong to jack.org, a national students' group that promotes mental health awareness.
MacKenzie Produce of Stratford donated the doomed vegetables.
Many of the pumpkins were already bruised, soft or blemished.
"It puts them to good use, since they're not suitable for food," said one bat-wielding student. "And it makes them easier to smash."
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