That’s right. 29,000 children die every single day from hunger and hunger related illnesses. These are 29,000 preventable deaths that occur every single day around us. That is one child who dies every 3 seconds. By the time you finish reading this post we will have lost around 23 more children who die from malnutrition.

What is the 30 Hour Famine?

The 30 Hour Famine is a nationally organized event uniting youth groups around the world in the purpose of raising funds to fight world hunger. The national dates are February 22 and February 23, 2008. The student ministries of Temple Baptist Church have been organizing and participating in the 30 Hour Famine event over the last four years. In this period of time we’ve raised over $30,000 for world hunger. With government grants that match and even multiply what we have raised, we’ve seen close to $100,000 given to fight world hunger. Our youth group is currently participating in the 2008 Famine event. Students are currently raising money for world hunger in the Sullivan, Mo area. Maybe YOU could join us in making a difference!

How does the Famine work?

The members of our youth group (teenagers, college students, and adults alike) are raising money through donors and sponsors to help the millions of starving and hurting children in some of the world’s poorest countries. All those who participate will then go 30 hours without food, so that they can have a real taste of what hunger is like. During this time they engage in different activities, from community service projects to events and activities that raise hunger awareness in our community. Afterwards, all the funds raised will be sent to World Vision, and will be put to work in areas like Malawi, Peru, North Korea, and even here in the United States.

What does it take to help a hungry child?

Only $30 a month, just $1 a day, will help feed and care for a child. The goal of our students is to ask at least 12 people to donate $30 which would raise enough money to feed and provide necessary care to a child for a whole year.

Every year, thousands of groups in more than 21 countries - over 1 million teens - unite with one goal in mind: to help children living in some of the most deplorable conditions on earth.

This is an awesome opportunity to impact and even save countless lives. This could be the single most effective event you’re a part of all year to make a difference in peoples’ lives. Shake things up, and join the winnable war to save kids lives.

Other Information:

How can I make a donation? 

Where can I find more facts about world hunger? 

How much of my donation actually goes to world hunger? 

How can I contact you? 

If you would like to make a donation to World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine you have several options.

Option #1 - Find a student. If you live in the Sullivan, MO area you can find a student from Temple Baptist Church who is participating in the 30 Hour Famine. Each student participating can accept donations and offer a receipt.

Option #2 - Send donation to the church. You can write a check and mail it to Temple Baptist Church, 444 Beeman St., Sullivan, MO 63080. Make checks payable to World Vision. Or you can drop off your donation in the church office.

Option #3 - You can make a donation online. Using our paypal account we can accept donations over the internet. You can use a credit card if you do not have a paypal account. To donate online simply click on the button entitled “Donate” on the right sidebar.

100% of all proceeds go to World Vision. (Note: In order for your donation to be 100%, we will pay any fees associated with giving via paypal. The only way we can accept donations online is via paypal. There will be a 2.9% + $0.30 fee per donation if paypal is used. For example: If you give $10.00 via paypal there will be a $.60 fee. 100% of your $10.00 will go to World Vision and the church will cover the $.60 fee. For larger donations, the church will cover up to $100 of the fee.)

Option #4 - If you want to make a donation but would rather not donate through the Student Ministries of Temple Baptist Church, you can go to World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine website and donate directly.

Our goal is to raise funds for World Vision in order to help stop world hunger. We want to help spread the word and we hope that there are others out there who are as compassionate as we are about saving the lives of children.

The Student Ministries of Temple Baptist Church are involved in the 30 Hour Famine on a strictly volunteer basis. 100% of the proceeds raised go directly to World Vision.

The following teenagers, college students, and adults spent all day together on Saturday during the 30 Hour Famine. We had four or five of them go to the local mission to work and to help organize and sort the pantry. Other students spent the day running around town collecting food donations for the Agape House. We also spent the day creating a video to raise hunger awareness and making signs to place around the church. Among other things we discussed the world hunger crisis, had praise and worship, and bible study. Girls and guys split up in the evening and each group went to different host homes to play games and watch movies. We did all of this on empty stomachs! This group and many other individuals in our church are fasting for 30 hours to raise money and awareness for world hunger. I especially want to thank those who participated. Without your effort and sacrifice we wouldn’t have a 30 Hour Famine. Thanks for giving up your Saturday and being willing to serve.

Boys:
Brad Perry
Craig Tanner
Michael Morgan
J.D. Huitt
Jeff Jones
Justin Smith
J.T. Smith
Lester Turilli
Dustin Farris
Kyle Mook

Girls:
Kendall Tanner
Briana Key
Hannah Huitt
Kendall Center
Juanita Ziegler
Kayla McGowan
Emmie Blankenship
Christina Goulding
Hannah Deveydt
Junita Gillaspy
Madison Radford
Victoria Byrd
Courtney Stoughton
Miranda Prusik

More than 854 million people in the world go hungry.

In developing countries nearly 16 million children die every year from preventable and treatable causes. Sixty percent of these deaths are from hunger and malnutrition.

In the United States, 11.7 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger.

But we CAN end hunger.

We have the means. The financial costs to end hunger are relatively slight. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutrition needs of the world’s poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year. Animal lovers in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food each year.

What makes the difference between millions of hungry people and a world where all are fed?

Only a change in priorities. Only the will to end hunger.

Global Hunger & Poverty

• Each day, over 29,000 children die from preventable diseases such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths.
• More than 852 million people in the world are malnourished - 799 million of them are from the developing world. More than 153 million of them are under the age of 5.
• In developing countries, one child in 10 dies before his fifth birthday. By comparison, in the U.S. one child in 165 will die before turning five years old.
• In the last 50 years, 400 million people worldwide have died from hunger and poor sanitation. That’s three times the number of people killed in all wars fought in the entire 20th century.
• The wealthiest fifth of the world’s people consume an astonishing 86 percent of all goods and services, while the poorest fifth consume 1 percent.
• Of the 6.39 billion people in today’s world, 1.2 billion live on less than $1 per day.
• Malnutrition can severely affect a child’s intellectual development. Children who have stunted growth due to malnutrition score significantly lower on math and language achievement tests than do well-nourished children.

Domestic Hunger & Poverty

• 36.3 million people - including 13 million children - live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents approximately one in ten households in the United States.
• 3.5 percent of U.S. households experience hunger. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. 9.6 million people, including 3 million children, live in these homes.
• 7.7 percent of U.S. households are at risk of hunger. Members of these households have lower quality diets or must resort to seeking emergency food because they cannot always afford the food they need. 26.6 million people - including 10.3 million children - live in these homes.
• Preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children with no hunger, according to a recent study.

The facts displayed on this page are from Bread for the World. Bread for the World Institute provides policy analysis on hunger and strategies to end it. BFWI believes that a well educated and motivated U.S. constituency who cares for hungry people could ultimately change the politics of hunger. Empowering people with information can result in real progress toward ending world hunger. BFWI generates studies on hunger issues and vital educational resources.

A question that is often asked is: “how much of my donation actually goes to world hunger?” This is a valid question, especially in todays world when we can’t be so certain. World Vision clearly offers this information for those wishing to donate.

87% per $1 donated goes to programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need.

8% per $1 donated goes to fundraising efforts

5% per $1 donated goes to management & general expenses for World Vision.

World Vision is able to help children around the world because groups like the students of Temple Baptist choose to break free from all the noise and clutter… and choose to be hungry so others can eat.

The average healthy person can go without food for 30 hours without feeling any major side effects.  Exceptions include:

1.  Children under the age of 12

2.  The elderly

3.  Pregnant or nursing women

4.  People with specific medical conditions (past or present) - including diabetes, hypoglycemia, and eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia.

There are various ways to fast, but many people choose to do a juice fast.  Fruit juices or powdered juice mixes usually work best.  One tip, though: Avoid drinking acidic juices like orange or pineapple.  (not the best thing on an empty stomach!)

Fasting helps people break free from the noise and clutter of our world - so they can focus their thoughts, prayers, and efforts on what matters to God.  Which is great, since one of the reasons for doing the 30 Hour Famine is to bring our group closer to Christ.  Fasting also helps students experience what hunger feels like, creating a connection between them and the children who will be helped by the funds raised.

A 30-hour fast is not required for those who do the Famine, but it is a recognized component.  Again, while most people can go without food for 30 hours with no ill effects, fasting should be a personal choice.  If for any reason-medical or otherwise-someone can’t participate in a 30-hour fast, there are some other ways that we can modify the famine experience.  Students could fast from a meal or two.  They could give something up for a period of time like chocolate or soda.  Or even a “techno-fast”, going without TV, movies, music, Internet, etc.

The issue of world hunger can be significantly reduced with the efforts of people who refuse to do nothing about it. While there are many things we can do to focus on fighting world hunger I know that raising the alarm, seeking pity for starving children and pouring on the guilt won’t really create a long-term change in people. We can stir your heart every now and then by showing you images of starving children and telling you about the deplorable conditions, but those things don’t bring lasting change in our hearts. We’ve come to realize that a compassion for people grows out of our compassion and love for God. It’s through the eyes of Jesus that we can see the world for what it truly is, and it is through the compassion that Christ brings into our lives that we can set forth to bring lasting change.

There are some in the world who believe that there is actually not enough food to go around. This is a myth. In reality there is an abundance of food in the world and more that could be produced. God has given us the resources necessary to live and the means by which we could indeed feed the world. We have enough wheat, rice, vegetables, beans, nuts, root crops, fruits, grass-fed meats, and fish. We have an abundance of such foods and in America we tend to consume an abundance of that food. Think back to Christmas or Thanksgiving. Did you eat too much? In just one setting we often consume more food in America than some families see in a day and the number of overweight people continues to grow because we have an abundance. The problem is not lack of food in the world , the problem is people are too poor to buy readily available food and those who control it are not readily willing to give it away without a price. Increasing food production would only help if we increased food distribution. If we only increase the production and continue to distribute it only to the tight group of people who could afford it or if we simply export it then we’ve done nothing to curb world hunger.

What about natural disasters? Isn’t nature to blame for world hunger? Famines and droughts have hit many areas hard and they do cause environmental stress. The truth is that those who are hit the hardest by natural disasters are those who are the poorest. Anyone who can afford it can make it through a famine or drought. But what happens when you are deprived of land, deprived of food, and you are completely helpless? The Institute for food and development points out, “Natural events rarely explain deaths; they are simply the final push over the brink. Human institutions and policies determine who easts and who starves during hard times.” This is where a change of heart is needed. We tend to be too focused on our own selves and in the process of naval gazing we miss the people in need who are all around us. We discover in the Scriptures that Jesus says we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. It’s this compassion and love for others that should drive us to fight for world hunger rather than ignoring it or placing blame on other things. If we have the means to help others and refuse to do so then can we truly say we are servants of our Lord Jesus Christ or must we come to the harsh reality that we are really servants of ourselves?Some might also point out that there are way to many people in the world. In reality, does birth rate really explain hunger? If people in America, Nigeria, Brazil, and Bolivia are eating an over-abundance of food it seems the issues are less with population and more with others refusal to share the wealth. How can we be so quick to blame hunger on population? While I can see overpopulation becoming a problem, it isn’t the core of the issue now. The core problem is the inability of those in poverty to change their economic and social status.

Those who are in poverty are not too hungry and weak to fight for life. If they were they likely wouldn’t survive as long as they have. Its important to understand that we have the ability to empower people to live through teaching them how to produce their own food and water. Doing something to fight world hunger is less about dropping a bag of food off at a poor persons house and more about helping those in poverty get past the obstacles that keep them from thriving.

Let’s face it, ending world hunger is a monumental task that is beyond us. We are undertaking something that is far bigger than ourselves. We live in over-abundance in America and so it is difficult to understand what it feels like to be in need. It’s hard to relate to people with whom we have absolutely nothing in common. For most of us we’ve always had the means to live abundantly and we’ve rarely thought about those who have nothing. Our desire is that you start to think differently. Our prayer is that God would open our eyes and our hearts to see the lost, hurt, and dying world around us and that he would empower us and give us the compassion necessary to engage the world with healing, both physical and spiritual.

30 Hour Famine 2004

This was our very first 30 Hour Famine. We made this video for our congregation to see a little about what we had done during the Famine weekend.

30 Hour Famine 2005

During our second 30 Hour Famine we made another video for the church to see. We also did service projects that included purchasing food for the local mission. We also raised several thousand dollars more than the previous year’s Famine.