Too costly

Too costly for a bed too short and a blanket too small

One can not help but applaud the choice of Desiree and her friends to borrow, so to speak, the bellies of the hungry. Surely that is one way to empathize with fellow humans struggling for meaningful existence. Our only wish is that this exercise would turn into a lifestyle to wean their generation off mindless consumerism. You may already know that hunger is preventable in that there is more than enough food to go around – even locally. The culprits are essentially self-indulgent groups everywhere and governments that shape national policies. Hence, the yawning need for political advocacy as well.

We also appreciate the fabulous job World Vision and similar organizations have done over the years to create awareness and alleviate suffering. Here is a dilemma that requires exceptional creativity. Ethiopians [the point of our concern] are made to pay dearly for receiving food aid. Imported food aid often plays a destabilizing role on local economies. “Hunger projects” make a good story for fund-raising. They tend to perpetuate physical problems they attempt to solve even as they nurture a more sinister psychological/spiritual stigma for recipients. The sad tale of the past four decades [already a second generation] is that Ethiopia has become a synonym for hunger. Of course this is done in good conscience and in a spirit of generosity. We need to re-think, however, ways of protecting the dignity of those created in the image of God. We may want to revisit the Gospels constantly to see how Jesus the Compassionate dealt with the hungry, the sick, and the outcasts. There is no incident where his words and acts did not ennoble each person. In other words, don’t settle for the practical alone. Here is the challenge for you: study the underlying causes of hunger with the view to addressing the issue over a longer period and in multiple venues. God bless. Ed.

Utah teens to fight hunger by going hungry30-hour famine » Fast will raise money for Haiti, Ethiopia and area charities.

Source: SLTribune

Desireé Jensen has never been to Haiti or Ethiopia, but she knows a little about being hungry. For the past three years, Desireé and a dozen or more kids at Christ United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City have given up food, only taking occasional sips of juice, as participants in a nationwide program, known as the "30-Hour Famine." They will do so again Feb. 26 and 27. The effort is organized by World Vision -- a Christian relief and development organization fighting global poverty -- as a way to raise money, provide community service and build awareness of world hunger. World Vision officials estimate that, since 1992, students have raised more than $130 million worldwide. In 2009, they gathered close to $11 million for countries where famine, conflict and other crises make children vulnerable to hunger and preventable disease. This year, a third of the money raised by Christ United kids will go to Haiti relief, a third to Ethiopia and the remainder to area charities, says Barb McClellen, youth minister at the church. A lot of believers practice self-denial, including fasting, during Lent, the 40-day season before Easter, she says. The Famine fast is a good way for young people to get started in that tradition. It's also a hands-on way to teach compassion and empathy, she says. "The kids have more of an understanding of what it's like to live in a Third World country." Organizers provide games to teach the teens about dangers and diseases young people face in places such as South America.

Last year, they had to cross the "Amazon River" on a two-by-four wooden plank to help them appreciate how much students in those countries yearn to go to school, even crossing huge rivers to get there. "They take going to school for granted," McClellen says. "In other countries, they would risk their lives to get an education." This year, the Famine activities will focus on tribes from Ethiopia. The youths will break into small groups in which each takes on an identity of a child in Ethiopia, including any health challenges or disabilities these children might have from hunger-related illnesses. They also will face a "temptation room," with such smells as burgers, fries and popcorn wafting into their nostrils. "We kind of tempt them with food," McClellin says. "Then we talk about temptation in other areas." On Feb. 27, the teens will volunteer at the Utah Food Bank and participate in a food drive for the state's needy population. Desireé can't wait. The 14-year-old loves delivering food to people who cannot get out to buy their own. She also loves spending time with her church friends and feeling close to God. And the fasting? "You'd think it would be hard and at first it is," she says. "But when you're with your friends, you kind of forget that you're hungry, for the most part." Frankly, Desireé says, the Famine experience has made her more grateful for the food and opportunities she has -- and more aware of the billions who don't have much of either.