Hendricks Chapel will host its first-ever 24-hour “famine” on Saturday as part of its 2013 hunger initiative. Participants will abstain from eating for an entire day to promote awareness of hunger in the community and raise money to feed the hungry.

“This year there was a lot of synergy to think about the issue of hunger,” said Tiffany Steinwert, dean of Hendricks. “We can all connect to what it is like to be hungry and we know that we are situated in this community of Syracuse where people go hungry every day.”

Hendricks will host the fast with the STEP Center of the Lutheran Campus Ministry and the Grace Episcopal Church, said Gail Riina, the Lutheran chaplain at Hendricks.

“We want the message that every individual can make a difference to come across,” said Riina, who is also co-director of the STEP Center. “We are hosting a series of events to educate, do hands-on service, to supply food to our local community.”

She explained that the money and hands-on service will be focused locally so people can make a direct difference in their community rather than feeling removed from the issue.

Volunteers will meet in the Noble Room in Hendricks on Saturday to kick off the event with a welcome lunch and orientation at 11 a.m. The fast will then begin at noon.

“The fasting is a spiritual exercise meant to be a limited experience in solidarity with those who have no choice about the food they eat or having enough to eat,” Riina said.

Volunteers will help collect non-perishable foods at local supermarkets including Tops, Wegmans and Price Chopper. They also have the option of volunteering at local food pantries to stock shelves and organize supplies, she added. Transportation to and from these locations will be provided, and even participants who are not fasting for the entire day will also be able to join in the day’s activities.

Later in the night, from 8-10 p.m., participants will package 20,000 meals in two hours, Riina said.

From midnight-8 a.m., there will be an overnight lock-in inside the chapel. Those who choose to stay can participate in several games and activities for a sleepover, according to the 24-hour famine’s website. The next morning they will break the fast at noon and participate in other service projects, such as delivering items to the food bank, Riina added.

“The whole purpose of the STEP Center is to get students to step out of their world and into someone else’s and be more involved with the community,” said Brittany Moore, a junior television, radio and film and information management and technology major. She is also the student director for the STEP Center.

Said Moore: “I think it’s important for student’s to see that there is life outside of our campus and that there are people who are suffering.”

Published on November 7, 2013 at 1:41 am

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