Posted by BEN BEAUMONT – Clinton School grad Dustin Freeman is leading the call to 40 Hours of Famine, a symbolic fast to raise money and awareness for the global hunger crisis caused by skyrocketing food prices. Freeman is organizing both religious and secular groups to complete the fast. Below are the details. For more information on getting yourself, your church or your organization involved in 40 Hours of Famine, contact Freeman at dustinfreeman@msn.com.
40 Hours of Famine
The Situation: Global food prices have skyrocketed in the past months, and the world’s poorest have been hardest hit. The result is a “silent tsunami” — the first wide-spread famine in more than 30 years; an emergency that has received only minor public attention.
The plan: To increase awareness of this crisis and raise assistance through a collective 40 hour fast.
40 hours is a safe, and spiritually symbolic, period that will allow participants to experience real hunger in solidarity with the hundreds of millions currently unable to afford basic foodstuffs.
Religious and secular groups around the Central Arkansas area will begin their fast on Friday, May 30th at 8:00 p.m. and conclude on the following Sunday at noon. Any Children interested in participating are encouraged to set a 24-hour goal, from Saturday to Sunday at noon. Anyone unable to fast during these hours, or unable to complete the 40 hour goal, is welcomed to participate when and for as long as they are able.
Participants are invited to raise relief as they fast by obtaining pledges for each hour that they fast. Friends, family and coworkers can pledge to donate a fixed dollar amount for each hour fasted. The reccommended donation is $2.50, representing the cost of a day’s meals in the developing world. Forty hours of fasting at this level of support would lead to a $100 total donation.
All donations will benefit hunger relief in Haiti, which is one of the nations hardest hit by the food crisis. Any money collected should be turned in to St. Andrew’s Anglican Church of Little Rock by June 15th for distribution. Write “Famine” on the memo line. St. Andrew’s will forward the funds to our partner church in Haiti for use and distribution.
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