For student parishioners of the Newman Center, a Catholic campus ministry, this weekend proved to be an eye-opening experience about the realities of worldwide hunger.
At noon Friday, about 25 Newman Center members began a
24-hour fast in honor of Lent, a Christian tradition, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Palm Sunday, or from Feb. 13 to March 24 this year.
During the fast, the group volunteered to work at Churchill Garden and donated $1,000 to the FOOD for Lane County food bank.
The food bank collects and distributes food to a network of 100 agencies and programs in Lane County, and provides for the emergency-food needs of one in five Lane County residents.
To raise the $1,000, Newman Center members each donated money he or she would have spent on food and entertainment during the 24-hour time period of the fast, and many fellow church members also contributed money for
the cause.
“It’s a chance for us to raise money and give back to the community as well as grow spiritually,” University student Justin Zuiker said.
To begin the fast, members participated in an all night lock-in that began 6 p.m. Friday at the Newman Center. During the lock-in, each person said their reasons for participating in the hunger strike, ranging from personal experience with hunger to wanting to help others in need. A nun led the group in prayer and discussion about hunger.
In the final two hours of the group’s fast, members volunteered their time working in Churchill Garden, the youngest of three gardens owned by FOOD for Lane County in the Eugene area.
In the three gardens, FOOD for Lane County grows organic food for distribution in the community. The organization also provides individual families with plots of land for gardening and teaches them how to grow their own food.
Zuiker said Newman Center members wanted to work at the garden near the end of the fast, in their hungriest moments, to learn to appreciate the many blessings in
their lives.
With a pitchfork in hand, pulling weeds for compost beds, University student Carla Zilaff said she decided to volunteer her time because it supported a good cause.
“It didn’t cross my mind not to,” she said.
Working next to Zilaff, University student Gabriela Serrano agreed and said, “It has been a really good learning experience and I know that it will help people in the
long run.”
FOOD for Lane County garden coordinator Jen Anonia said the organization truly appreciates the Newman Center’s help with the gardens, and the effort is just one step toward the organization’s goal of distributing 6 million pounds of food throughout Lane County this year.
“This garden wouldn’t exist without the help of the community,” she said. “It’s a challenging time to get help this time of year because it is cold and wet, but it’s nice to have people do the less glamorous gardening work.”
To end the 24-hour fast, members had a free meal at the Newman Center, and many admitted to
being hungry.
“Part of the time you don’t notice it, but then you think about how hungry you are and you want a pizza, but then you remember, oh, yeah, I can’t,” University student Ben Swagerty said.
Zuiker said he, too, felt hungry but realized that his hunger did not parallel the hunger of others living in poverty around the world.
“What we think of hunger is nothing compared to the millions of people who really experience it,” he said.