Auburn Students Fast for Hunger Awareness

Sixteen Auburn (Wash.) Adventist Academy students wanted to raise awareness about heart-wrenching worldwide hunger statistics by taking part in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine program for high school-aged students.

World Vision's 30 Hour Famine is a group event to raise awareness about starvation around the world. More than 925 million people in our world are hungry, and hunger is a major cause of the tens of thousands of deaths that happen around the world every day. Event participants raise funds to donate to the need and fast for 30 hours to take a personal stand against world starvation.

The Auburn group asked family, friends and church members to sponsor them while they fasted in late February and raised $1,211 to help stop global hunger.

Hunger can be distracting, especially with tempting potluck aromas during the church service, but the Auburn students persevered. The afternoon was spent together, drinking juice when needed. As the end of the fast drew near, the students gathered for a vespers talk by Jordan Stephan, Associated Student Body president.

A pizza feed satisfied the students' hunger at the end of the fast, but their compassion and awareness will be something that never leaves.

Students left that day understanding that for many starving children around the world, their hunger will not be satisfied by pizza alone, but by showing compassion and helping those in need.

Featured in: May 2012