Man eats 100 KFC Zinger Boxes to raise money for mental health

A Phillip Island man went on a finger lickin’ mission to eat a KFC Zinger Box for 100 days straight. But it was all for a good cause.

A Phillip Island man has completed a mission to eat a KFC Zinger Box a day for 100 days to raise money for a worthy cause.

Seamus Murphy, 27, started his finger lickin’ challenge as a bit of fun but after documenting his journey on social media, people wanted to send him money to buy the KFC.

“I felt uncomfortable taking people’s money to buy food so I thought I would put it towards a cause that hits close to home,” Mr Murphy told The Bass Coast News.

The Ventnor carpenter said it “felt great” raising $1285 for Movember and Black Dog Institute as “mental health is an important issue”.

Mr Murphy sadly lost a friend to suicide in January this year.

“It was pretty shocking for my group of friends,” he said.

“My friend was with a group of friends on Australia Day and he went home and took his own life.”

Mr Murphy said he wasn’t aware of his friend’s struggles.

“When you’re struggling silently, that’s where it hits most,” he said.

Recent findings by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), show regional Victorian’s struggle with mental health and suicide at vastly higher rates than people living in the city.

“There’s not as many resources and there’s a tough country mentality of holding it in and dealing with it yourself,” Mr Murphy said.

“I think there needs to be more resources of knowing what to do when your friend is down like knowing what to say to help.”

This year 17,500 Victorians registered with Movember to raise funds and awareness for men’s mental health and suicide prevention.

Movember Country Director Rachel Carr applauded this year’s huge effort from supporters.

“We’ve been blown away by the support Movember has received, especially in a year that’s been incredibly tough for many people,” she said.

“It’s been really inspiring to hear about the conversations that have been sparked.”

A KFC Zinger Box contains a burger, Wicked Wings, regular chips, potato and gravy and a soft drink but the 27-year-old wasn’t too concerned about suffering health issues from the challenge.

“I live a pretty active lifestyle so I wasn’t too worried,” he said.

Mr Murphy plans to do another food challenge after football season ends.

“I definitely want to continue to raise money and awareness for mental health whether it’s for kids, women or men,” he said.

“But I’m thinking Subway next time!”

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