American Teens Fast to Fight Hunger Thousands to Participate in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine, February 24-25
Seattle (January 9, 2006) – Multiple natural disasters around the globe have dominated news headlines for the past year. Yet behind the scenes and out of the headlines, hunger and preventable disease have continued to claim the lives of the world’s children at a pace of 29,000 a day . The good news is that thousands of American teens are responding to this ongoing crisis, through World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine.
This February 24-25, teens nationwide are participating in the 15 th annual 30 Hour Famine, forsaking food for 30 hours to get a taste of what the world’s poorest children and families face on a daily basis.
Prior to the event weekend, teens raise funds by explaining that $30 a month – just $1 a day – can feed and care for a child for 30 days. Energized with compassion rather than food during their fast, 30 Hour Famine participants gather as groups (representing schools, churches, youth groups, and civic organizations) and consume only water and fruit juices as they focus on activities that remind them of the purpose of their fasting and fundraising. For example, many Famine groups team up to provide hands-on assistance in their communities by coordinating food drives, serving in soup kitchens, or assisting in homeless shelters.
Funds raised by 30 Hour Famine participants help feed and care for children in poverty-afflicted countries around the globe. World Vision works in 100 countries, helping approximately 100 million people per year. Funds from the 30 Hour Famine contribute to World Vision’s response in areas where famine, conflict, and other crises make children vulnerable to hunger and preventable disease. For example, in the past year World Vision has responded to famine in Niger, widespread flooding in Central America, and a major earthquake in Pakistan that displaced more than 2 million people.
Famine funds raised in fiscal year 2005 totaled $11.6 million. The goal for 2006 is $15 million. In addition to national dates for U.S. teens to participate each February, April, and October, the 30 Hour Famine is an international student movement. Each year, about a million young people participate around the globe. To donate or participate in the Famine, visit www.30hourfamine.org or call 1-800-7-FAMINE.
“The 30 Hour Famine has a lasting impact, not just to the children receiving food, care, and education, but to Famine participants who view their own potential to affect change in their world very differently afterward,” said Debbie Diederich, national director of the World Vision 30 Hour Famine.
About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision serves the world’s poor regardless of a person’s religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org.
Contact:
Karen Kartes
World Vision
(253)815-2163
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