#foodlessfeast2k14

I am a youth leader at the church I attend while away at school. It is a big church with an equally as large youth group. I am the senior girls life group leader and they are all gems. This last weekend I participated in my second 'foodless feast' weekend.

In the weeks leading up to foodless feast the youth group goes about different methods of fundraising to raise money for different causes related to poverty, hunger and homelessness. Then as an act of awareness and perspective- we fast for 30 hours, do service projects at community organizations and top it all off by sleeping in card board boxes in mid-November!

We went to a women's shelter where we had to open up the cabinets and cook whatever we had. Naturally, I called my father who was a chef and he gave us instructions on what to do. It was a little cruel to have to prepare a meal in the hardest few hours of our fast. 

Next, we went back and constructed our adorable box shelter for the night. We won the award for most unique, durable and warmest. It's also pretty darn cute.

After serving a mystery meal to some paying church member we started playing catch phrase and heads up- which went as well as you can imagine playing a guessing game on no food. Eventually we bundled up in 27 thousand layers and headed out to our box homes. 

The night was not nearly as bad as I anticipated, which probably is not realistic. We survived the night and were all hungry and cranky come morning.

The best part of the weekend: The youth raised over 15,000 DOLLARS. 

As I reflect on the weekend, I'd like to mimic the prayer of some of our youth by saying; I am incredibly thankful that we have the resources and privilege to choose to go hungry. That in order to know what it is like to be poor and hungry, we have to willingly subject ourselves to it. I also hope and pray that this privilege does not slip through our fingers without realizing the enormous responsibility that comes with it.  

Homelessness is so much more than cardboard boxes and hunger. It's complex, it is multifaceted and it is devastating. We have the resources to do something about it. I am incredibly honored to know 75 high school students who are more than willing to step up and do what they can.