National Council of Catholic Women at 200 N. Glebe Road, Suite 703, Arlington, VA 22203 US - FAST TO RELIEVE WORLD HUNGER

All members are invited and encouraged to join in the 2008 fast on November 20, the Thursday before Thanksgiving.  In a world in which millions of our brothers and sisters go to bed hungry every night, it is good to have a day to consider our excess and the want of others, and to share their pangs of hunger, before we embark on holiday feasting. 

Here are a few suggestions for your day of fast:

►   Talk with your CCW about sponsoring the day of fast in your own diocesan or parish council and invite your whole parish or diocese to participate. 

►   Fasting can take whatever form your health and circumstances dictate.  Anything from eliminating between-meal snacking to a water-only fast can be productive, as long as it stimulates prayerful consideration of the needs of the poor.

►   It may be useful to approach fasting in a spirit of solidarity with the world’s poor, or as an act of penance for our daily over-consumption.  The U. S. accounts for roughly five percent of the world’s population but consumes about 25 percent of its resources.  It can be helpful to accompany our fasting with prayer and reflection on how we might simplify our lives to make a larger share of resources available to others.

►   Consider contributing to the alleviation of hunger the monetary difference between what you consume while fasting and what you would normally consume.  Organizations such as Bread for the World, Food for the Poor, or your local community shelter or soup kitchen are possible recipients.

►   Learn more about world poverty by visiting the webpage of the Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty, http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/globalpoverty/.  This is a joint project of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services.

Another worthy focus of our fasting and prayer is the widespread hunger that exists right here in our own land of plenty.  According to a 2002 study by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, fifteen percent of Americans said that within the previous year they had at least once lacked enough money to keep themselves and their families fed.  In response to this need, Catholic Charities launched a Campaign to End Poverty in America.  The Campaign aims to cut poverty in the United States in half by the year 2020 by educating legislators and the public about the societal and policy changes we must make to make hunger and poverty in America a thing of the past.