State Line youth fasting to help hungry

STATE LINE - 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 a day.

More than 850 million people around the world don't have enough to eat. Annually, more than 10 million children under the age of five die from disease and malnutrition as a result of hunger. But world hunger is 100 percent preventable and teens from State Line United Methodist Church are ready to be part of the solution.

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 everyday.

The youth will be taking part in a lock-in at State Line United Methodist Church Feb. 22 and 23. Prior to the event weekend, they raise funds with the knowledge that every $30 they raise can help feed and care for a child for a month.

"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.

Since 1992, 30 Hour Famine has raised more than $100 million. The organization works in 100 countries, helping approximately 100 million people every year.