Beans and rice are on the menu in Grunthal, Man., this weekend — and it's all to give people a tiny taste of what it's like to be a refugee, and help one Syrian family in the process.

Starting Friday, about 30 members of the community will sleep outside for 24 hours in a mock "refugee camp" at the Hanover fairgrounds in Grunthal to raise money to sponsor a Syrian family.

"These people are coming to join us in our little makeshift refugee camp for 24 hours just to get even an inkling of what it might be like to live like that," said organizer Heather Neufeld.

Image | Heather Neufeld

Caption: Response to the fundraiser in Grunthal 'has been just amazing,' organizer Heather Neufeld says. 'It's been a huge blessing.' (CBC)

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"We thought it would be a great way to raise awareness and just for people to get a bit more understanding of what it is really like."

Neufeld's husband, who is a local pastor, and their two adopted children, who are originally from Mozambique, will be among the campers. They will be joined by the local elementary school principal, youth leaders, real estate agents, lawyers and children.

Each person participating had to raise a minimum of $100 for the camp out.

"This is actually quite funny because we are making people pay to bring their own stuff. For the $100 they fundraise, they can bring a sleeping bag, a tent and any clothes they have on their back. If they want to bring more than that, they have to fundraise more," said Neufeld.

For every additional $50 they raise, participants can bring a luxury item — a toothbrush, a pillow, a sleeping mat or a flashlight, for example.

The money raised will help the community, which is about 60 kilometres south of Winnipeg, sponsor a family of six from Syria. It has raised more than $20,000 of the $40,000 needed to support the family for one year.

Neufeld said she was surprised by how many people were willing to take part in the fundraiser.

"We were hoping for about 50 people. It has been just amazing. We were shocked by the number of people that signed up. We got more than double that," she said — 120 participants, to be exact.

"It's been a huge blessing."

But Neufeld realizes not everyone in Grunthal wants to sleep outside to show they are behind the cause.

"Especially when we had snow last week. So we set up a rice and beans challenge for the whole community."

As part of that challenge, the owner of the local grocery store allowed organizers to sell rice and beans — which are common UN refugee camp rations — to customers going in and out of the store. The buyers agreed to eat the rice and beans for one week.

But for those who are camping, besides lacking some of the comforts they're used to, there will be other challenges to meet. They will have to figure out where their firewood is, start a fire and cook. That may sound simple enough, but the instructions for doing all that will be in Swahili, Portuguese, High German, and a couple of other languages. Campers will have to find someone who speaks the language to translate.

"Much like a refugee camp, you might not know the language of the place where you have been put, so you might have to try and learn a few words in a new language or have someone translate it for you," said Neufeld.

She said campers will face other challenges that will force them to answer questions like what they would take if they had to flee their homes, or what they'd do if a border guard said they wouldn't be allowed through without a bribe. There will also be a simulated health emergency, along with a bit of fun through a toy-making workshop.

Neufeld has some past experience with learning about the lives of refugees. Her family hosted a family from Sudan 20 years ago. The couple will be at the camp to talk about refugee life and show participants how to make flatbread.

The event starts Friday at 5 p.m. and wraps up Saturday at the same time.

"I am so pleased. What started out to raise a little awareness, we now have … people getting involved in activities, and money being raised. We are so excited to see the community get behind us and be so supportive,"said Neufeld.

The community is hoping to welcome the Syrian family it's sponsoring by the end of the year.