3-7-12 —  Wars and natural disasters dominate the world's daily headlines, but  

behind the scenes and far from the spotlight, hunger and preventable  

diseases claim the lives of more than 22,000 of the world's children  

every day. A child dies from hunger-related causes every 8 to 12  

seconds. That means that as many as 11,000 children younger than the  

age of five are dying every day of hunger. Some of those children  

actually starve. The immune systems of the remaining children are  

powered down by malnutrition, leaving the door wide open for deadly  

diseases. In all, more than one billion people will go hungry every day.

    Why so many? For some families, the only food they have is whatever  

they can grow themselves. One drought or flood can wipe out a year's  

harvest. When it does, there's not a supermarket or food bank they  

can turn to. Others can barely afford food despite their best  

efforts. Either way, hunger is anything but yesterday's problem. For  

one billion people, it's a problem right now. But world hunger is 100  

percent preventable, and teens from Steubenville Baptist Church and  

First Church of the Nazarene are ready to help.

    Over the next couple of months, local youth 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 do World Vision's 30 Hour Famine because they are  

"Love Hungry"—the theme for this year. World Vision is a Christian  

humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children,  

families and their communities worldwide to reach their full  

potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. One way  

they strive to accomplish this goal is through their 30 Hour Famine  

Ministry.

    Every year, thousands of students unite to do the 30 Hour Famine.  

During the famine events, students learn about hunger—and then they  

do something about it. First, they raise funds to help fight hunger.  

Then, they experience hunger for themselves, for a full 30 hours.

    The youth at Steubenville Baptist Church will hold their 30 Hour  

Famine this weekend, March 9-10. The First Church of the Nazarene  

will have their 30 Hour Famine event on April 27-28. Both events  

provide members of the community with the opportunity to be a part of  

the war on global hunger.

    According to Buddy Duke, youth minister at Steubenville Baptist  

Church, this weekend's event will mark the third year that youth at  

the church have participated in a 30 Hour Famine. He added that the  

youth have raised over $4600 over the past couple years, as part of  

the 30 Hour Famine events.

    There is quite a bit of work and sacrifice that goes into the 30  

Hour Famine, as youth are asked to raise funds by asking people to  

sponsor them. Then, they actually go without food for 30 hours,  

drinking only water and fruit juice during that time.

    "The teenagers here have been more than accommodating," noted Duke.

    He added, "They suffer by not eating…but yet they're ready to do it  

again next year."

    According to Duke, one of the primary reasons the youth are so  

dedicated to the 30 Hour Famine is because they want to be part of a  

bigger cause. The 30 Hour Famine gives them that chance and the money  

they raise will make the difference in whether some children will go  

hungry or be fed.

    The youth will start their 30 Hour Famine this Friday, March 9.   

Over the course of the event, students will refrain from eating,  

watch video clips and participate in discussion times, journal about  

their experience and play games.

    This year, in addition to fighting global hunger, the youth at  

Steubenville Baptist Church are also having a canned food drive to  

combat hunger in their county. They will be collecting can goods for  

local charities this Saturday, March 10 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at  

the following locations: Walmart, Rite-Aid, Aspire Center, Save-a-lot  

and Steubenville Baptist Church.

    Duke stated that the food drive is something the youth group can do  

to show the community that they care about what is happening in their  

local county, as well as across the world.

    Another local group who will have a 30 Hour Famine weekend is the  

youth group at the First Church of the Nazarene. This marks the first  

year that the group has participated in the 30 Hour Famine, noted  

Jeremy Duranceau, youth pastor at the church.

    Duranceau and Julie McGinnis, a Sunday school teacher and church  

secretary, decided they wanted to become involved in the 30 Hour  

Famine, after receiving information about the ministry from World  

Vision. They will host a 30 Hour Famine weekend on April 27-28.

    "We're trying to make a push to change the world and that fell right  

into our theme and philosophy," noted Duranceau. "We believe the Lord  

opened the door for this at the perfect time."

    He added that the 30 Hour Famine will be an eye-opening event for  

those who participate in it: "We don't totally have an understanding  

of what it is to be hungry."

    Not only will the youth go without food, so they can better relate  

to those who are actually going hungry every day, they also plan to  

give up the comforts of shelter for that night. Duranceau noted that  

McGinnis has been collecting cardboard boxes for the event, and on  

the night of the 30 Hour Famine, those boxes will be the students'  

shelter, if all goes according to plan.

    Students in both youth groups will go without food for one night,  

and then they will return to their normal routines. Their suffering  

will be over…but not forgotten. They will have a better understanding  

of what it feels like for the thousands of children who go hungry  

every day.

    Hopefully, through efforts such as the 30 Hour Famine, that need for  

nourishment is going to be filled for many children. Their days of  

being hungry are about to change. In a sense, that is what the 30  

Hour Famine is all about…bringing about change.

    "I think the main theme of what we're trying to do is to change the  

world, one person at a time," stated Duranceau. "Our world is not  

just who's next to you, but people all over the place. People are  

dealing with things we can't even fathom."

    The 30 Hour Famine is definitely about bringing about change, noted  

Duke: "It's not just about the dollar amount it's about lives being  

changed."

Anyone who would like to contribute to this ministry can contact Duke  

at 348-5011 or Duranceau at 348-6294. Anyone writing a check can make  

it out to World Vision. For more information about the 30 Hour  

Famine, please visit www.30hourfamine.org.