This post is from Lauren Birkhimer as part of her 30 Hour Famine fundraiser this semester. When more info on this event is available, it will be added here as well as on our online spaces @ccw614.

Every morning when I wake up, my biggest worries include getting my homework done and deciding what outfit I am going to wear. I never have to worry about when my next meal will be. Sometimes I even skip breakfast if I am running late. But that is my choice. There are roughly 805 million people around the globe that do not have a choice. While the world produces enough food to feed all 7 billion peopleon this planet, many people do not have the land to grow food or the money to purchase it. With nearly 98% of worldwide hunger existing in underdeveloped countries, many of those living in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and numerous other places, do not know when their next meal will be, or if they will even get one.

You have probably thrown out leftovers when they have gone bad, feeling a little guilty that you are wasting food. You have also probably not finished your meal at a restaurant because you wanted to save room for dessert. A lot of us have wasted food or not thoroughly appreciated the food we have, getting takeout instead of cooking the food in our fridge before it expires. I can say I am guilty of all these things. I can also say that I know we are lucky. Almost 1 in every 15 children in developing countries dies before the age of 5, most of them from hunger related causes. And with 1 in 10 people worldwide living on less than $1.90 a day, poverty is the principal cause of hunger.

For the first time in decades, the percentage of hungry people is rising. While over the past 25 years hunger has decreased by 20%, hunger has risen in the last 2 years. So, what can we do? We can participate in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine. The 30 Hour Famine involves fasting for 30 hours, giving us a taste of what children across the globe experience every day. In that same amount of time, 7,000 kids will die around the world due to hunger related causes. But during the 30 hours we go without eating, we can help put a stop to that. Because, not only will we be fasting, we will also be fundraising and volunteering in our own community. All the money we raise will go directly to children around the globe who are suffering from hunger. 30 hours is not enough time to make world hunger disappear. But if we answer God’s call to help our brothers and sister in Christ, we can become a part of something bigger than ourselves. We can make a difference. Because, for almost a dollar we can give a child enough food to make it to the next morning.  I have done the 30 Hour Famine four times. I may have experience, but it does not get easier each time I do it. And it does not get any easier for those who are starving every day.