Lampasas students to "be hungry" for children worldwide

Wars and natural disasters all over the world dominate the daily headlines but behind the scenes and far from the spotlight, hunger and preventable diseases claim the lives of 29,000 of the world's children each day.

Right now, more than 850 million people around the world don't have enough to eat. Annually, more than 10 million children under the age of 5 die from disease and malnutrition as a result of hunger.

But world hunger is preventable and teens from Lampasas are ready to be a part of the solution. On April 11, they will be joining the efforts of hundreds of thousands of young people all over the nation who will set aside the usual "stuff" that fills their daily lives. Instead, they will "Be Hungry," the theme for World Vision's 30-Hour Famine this year, by going without food for 30 hours to get a taste of what the world's poorest children and families face every day.

Prior to the event weekend, students raise funds with the knowledge that every $30 they raise can help feed and care for a child for a month. Groups also were encouraged to perform hands-on service projects during the weekend in order to make a difference in their own community as well.

As part of the famine, local participants will be fasting for 30 hours beginning at 1 a.m. April 11. After school, local students will meet at First United Methodist Church to learn about the plight of African children, the AIDS pandemic and what they can do locally to impact hunger issues stateside.

During the fast, they will build a one-room house, which will be located in the Wesley Fellowship Hall, in order to bring education to the community and congregation on exactly what is going on in Africa, from AIDS and orphans to child soldiers.

This is the third year First United Methodist has hosted this event and has opened it to all students who want to make an impact on the world around them.

"This is not about denomination -- this is about serving God," said Becky Jackson, youth pastor.

Students also will sleep in cardboard boxes on the front lawn of the church. Students must raise a minimum of $30 to participate in the event -- all of which goes to World Vision to be evenly distributed to the needy.

"Believe it or not, the students love sleeping in the boxes," said Mrs. Jackson.

"I encourage our community to drive by during the event and check out what our students are doing."

The 30-Hour Famine has a lasting impact, not just on the children and families receiving life-changing food and care, but also on participants who view their own potential to affect change very differently afterward, said Debbie Diederich, national director of the World Vision 30-Hour Famine.

Funds raised by participants help feed and care for children in poverty afflicted countries around the globe and they contribute to World Vision's response in areas where famine, conflict and other crises make children vulnerable to hunger and preventable disease.

Since 1992, 30-Hour Famine has raised more than $100 million, representing countless saved lives. World Vision works in 100 countries, helping approximately 100 million people every year.