Fast-A-Thon Set for October 5
The Auburn University Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) in conjunction with the Center for Diversity and Race Relations will host Auburn’s fourth annual Fast-a-Thon on October 5, 2006. The goal of the Fast-a-Thon is to create awareness of the many individuals who go hungry everyday, not for religious expression, but as a fact of life.
Businesses in the area have pledged to donate $5 to the East Alabama Food Bank for each individual who commits to fasting on October 5. Sign up forms are available at the Foy Union Desk and Multicultural Center office. Students, faculty and staff will also have the opportunity to sign up this week on the concourse between 10am and 1pm. The deadline to sign up is Wednesday, October 4 at 5pm.
Students, faculty and staff that sign up for the Fast-a-Thon pledge to abstain from food or drink between the hours of 5:30am and 6:30pm on Thursday, October 5. Following the day-long fast, participants are invited to join together for dinner in the Foy Union Ballroom.
According to Asim Ali, assistant publicity coordinator for the Fast-a-Thon, “The idea [for Fast-a-Thon] orginated after 9-11 at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville). The Muslim Students Association there started the basic concept of Fast-a-Thon and the following year it was picked up by the national Muslim Students Association. This year more than 230 college campuses are expected to participate.�
“Locally we average about $1000 every year for the East Alabama Food Bank,â€? said Ali. “Nationally the number is MUCH higher… Newsweek did a special on Fast-a-Thon where the university (I think it was Virginia Commonweatlh) had 1,800 students participate.â€?
Ali expressed that everyone, especially those attending college, are very blessed. He said that we are largely seen as a community of haves and that the average Auburn resident doesn’t realize that hunger is a problem that faces many people in Auburn. Ali said there are people right here in Auburn that are hungry. According to the US Dept. of Agriculture, 12% of all Alabama households in 2004 did not always have access to enough food to meet basic needs. In addition, the USDA finds that 3% of all Alabama households face outright hunger. This means children and adults are forced to skip meals, limit their food intake, or even go without food a whole day.
Ali provided a personal story to illustrate the hunger issue that faces Auburn. “I’m a 16 year resident of Auburn. I never realized hunger was a problem in Auburn until once when I was in high school and I went to New China for lunch with a group of friends. Behind me in line was a lady who asked me if I could get her an egg roll. At first I thought it was some kind of joke, but then I noticed that she wasn’t carrying a purse, and was dressed in old clothes. I asked the guy working at the restaurant and he said she comes in every few days asking for an egg roll. We figured out that she was too poor to eat three times a day. It’s a problem that we just don’t notice because God has blessed us so much that we don’t see the havenots in our community.â€?
Ali believes the issue of hunger and starvation can have a large impact on college students. He said that the average Auburn student probably never thinks twice about eating lunch or dinner. However, he also said that a college education is more than just books, classes and midterms. Ali believes that education involves becoming a fully aware human being who cares for his or her surroundings and wants to be a constructive member of society. Ali believes that becoming aware of hunger and how it affects our fellow citizens is the beginning of the process. He said that doing something about the problem so that our neighbors are not starving is a necessary part of the solution and growth of students as educated members of society.
“There are so many ways that students at Auburn DO make a difference in the war on hunger,� said Ali. Projects such as the Beat Bama Can Drive and other various events are ways in which Auburn students are actively participating throughout the year to fight hunger right here in East Alabama.
“The Fast-a-Thon is a great way to walk in the shoes of someone who is hungry,� said Ali. “When we experience the problem, then we are better able to appreciate the necessity for solutions, and better able to appreciate our own contributions.�
Images courtesy of Auburn University Muslim Students’ Association.
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