Church Youth Host 30-Hour Famine to End Hunger

Youth at the  went without food for 30 hours this weekend in an effort to raise awareness and funds for world hunger.

Members of the church’s youth group went from noon Friday, May 4, until 6 p.m. Saturday, May 5, with only water for sustenance and a cardboard box for shelter.

“They were weak and tired by the end, but we were reminding them that after 30 hours, they can turn it off,” said pastor Troy Allison, who supervised the project. “They can go back to a life that is very blessed.”

The idea started when Lindbergh High School sophomore Tessa Jasper read an article in a Southern Baptist publication about hunger around the world. Tessa started donating $3 of her lunch money each day to the World Hunger Fund, a network of Southern Baptist volunteers and missionaries who use the funds to feed the hungry.

Allison said Tessa’s dedication was a “catalyst” that sparked a mini-movement in South County, including a new group (Stop Our Starvation, or SOS), a $5,000 fundraiser, a Facebook page, YouTube videos and outreach to the hungry in their own hometown.

“They are not the church of tomorrow. They are the church of today,” Allison said about the youth at his church. “They can make a difference now instead of later.”

SOS’s goal is to raise $5,000 for the World Hunger Fund through donations and selling wristbands. If they make that, Tessa has promised to shave her head—a major sacrifice—for her cause.

The group’s fundraising could have twice the impact. If they reach their $5,000 goal, the South County Baptist Church Foundation has agreed to match it.

To donate, send checks to 12995 Tesson Ferry Road, St. Louis, MO 63128 with a memo of SOS.