Drake Students Knows Hunger

by Jeff Cobble

Des Moines, Iowa (Feb. 25, 1997)-- Approximately 15 students began fasting at noon on Saturday and ended the ordeal at midnight on Sunday. The students were participating in World Vision's 30-Hour Famine for 1997. The 30-Hour Famine is a fund-raiser for starving children in developing countries. This year's famine took place at Drake on Feb. 22 and 23.

"We're doing it to see what it feels like to be hungry and to raise money for the kids," Joanna Dobson (AS3) said. Dobson said the event was being sponsored on campus by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.

World Vision is a nonprofit Christian organization that helps sick, homeless, hungry and poor people throughout the world. World Vision has projects in 101 countries and has helped more than 46 million people. More than 1 million students and youths in 21 countries participated in the 30-Hour Famine in 1996. More than $21 million was raised.

Students participating in the famine ask for donations from people around their communities. Generally, students will request $1 for every hour they spend fasting. It takes 50 cents per day to feed one starving child.

"We don't eat any food," Dobson said, "We recommend that people drink plenty of water and juice so they won't get dehydrated." To help participating students stay focused on what they were doing, Intervarsity held several prayer meetings. Dobson said the prayer times are helpful because it is hard to stay focused when someone has not eaten for more than 24 hours.

Lisa Lorimor (J2) participated in the famine. "It made me more aware of the hunger and the children who feel like that every day," she said. Lorimor said she also realized a spiritual hunger that comes from a lack of communication from God.

In addition to the famine itself, Intervarsity will take an offering at community worship on Thursday night of this week. Dobson said students have been asked to donate the money they would normally spend on a Sunday night dinner since they will miss that meal due to the famine. This year's contributions to the 30-Hour Famine are going to help children in India, Angola, The Dominican Republic and the United States.

World Vision's slogan, "Know Hunger," is a word play that places emphasis on the idea of, "No Hunger." The following are some things World Vision would like people to know: One out of every seven people in the world is affected by hunger, more than 800 million people worldwide are malnourished, there is enough food in the world to feed every man, woman, and child on earth, yet widespread starvation still exists, and 35,000 children die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes.

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