You Hungry?

Have you ever really been hungry? I'm not sure I really ever have... certainly not in the way many in our world are. The problem of hunger in this world is so much bigger than I can wrap my brain around! There are over 854 MILLION people in this world without enough food to eat! And a child dies every 5 seconds from hunger! There has got to be so much done in our world to stop this, since we have plenty to go around. I'm not in a position to make something huge happen, but I can do these really easy things that God seems to just have set in my path over the last couple of weeks.

Please join me in these (Yep, it's easy to do them all!)...

THIS WEEK - for hungry children in America
The Great American DINE OUT (http://www.strength.org)
During this week, September 21-28, a percentage of your bill at certain restaurants will go to feeding hungry kids in America. If you go to the website, you can put in your zip code to see where participating restaurants in your area are. In my area they include: Raising Canes, Texas Land & Cattle, Taco Bueno, Corner Bakery, Joe's Crab Shack, and more! So, if you need an excuse to take the family out for dinner, this is a great one!

END OF OCTOBER - for hungry people in the Dallas area
Community Hunger Day
On Monday, October 27th, Central Dallas Ministries will host Community Hunger Day. On this day they are asking people to commit to fasting that one day and giving generously to help feed the hungry. Beginning Sept. 29 you can visit http://www.communityhungerday.org and set up your own personal page to use to encourage those you know to give to fight hunger. I challenge you to consider doing this... and if not, to give through my page when I ask.

ANYTIME - for hungry people around the world
FreeRice.com
I know it seems too simple to be true, but it IS true... As you play games that sharpen your mind, you earn grains of rice to be distributed to hungry people around the world. This meets two world-wide goals of education for all people and food for all people. When you play the most popular game, vocabulary, for each word you get right, you donate 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program. As you play you can remember that for ever 2000 grains you earn, you feed one person for one day! Set this website on your favorites, and instead of internet card games or video games, go to freerice.com to chill out. It's a pretty awesome "time-waster," I'd say!

PERIODICALLY - for ending poverty in the world
The ONE Campaign
So, as you know hunger and poverty inseparable. The ONE campaign raises awareness and acts within our political system to increase funds and impact our government (in a non-partisan way) to end poverty in this world. ONE is Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life - united as ONE - to help make poverty history. You can go to their website (http://www.one.org) and sign up. Then you'll be sent e-mails periodically inviting you to send letters, sign petitions, etc. to make changes that effect world poverty and hunger. This is incredibly simple, and you can make a huge difference! Please take a look and sign up!

THIS SEMESTER - for world hunger
FBCR RAs Mission Collection
The 1-6 grade boys in our church who are a part of RAs (Royal Ambassadors) have a mission collection every year... and you guessed it, this year it's collecting change (in their tube socks) for world hunger. So, if you know an RA at FBCR, and you can spare some change from your pockets, cars seats, junk drawers, or purses, throw it their way!

I don't know why all these opportunities to address HUNGER seem to have come my way recently. But I do know I had to share it with you who read my ramblings. I love living my life with purpose. And these kinds of things are a big part of that. Thanks for joining with me!