FOSTORIA—Forty-seven teens and six adults participated in a modified 30-hour Famine sponsored by Fostoria St. Wendelin Parish and School Feb. 15 and 16. Participants got just a taste of what it’s like to be in poverty, all while raising money to help alleviate hunger.
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| Teens from Fostoria St. Wendelin Church and School prepare food for the 5 p.m. meal at Toledo Cherry Street Mission Feb. 15. (Photo courtesy of Fostoria St. Wendelin) |
Each student had a goal of raising a minimum of $60, the cost of feeding two children for a month, by solicited sponsors who could either donate to Catholic Relief Services or World Vision in support of their fast.
In addition to raising money for international relief, the students “adopted” and served the 5 p.m. Sunday meal at the Toledo Cherry Street Mission. Many generous folks from St. Wendelin and Upper Sandusky Transfiguration of the Lord, especially their Catholic Ladies of Columbia (CLC) organization, donated turkeys, instant potatoes, green beans, bread and butter and cake mixes for the kids to cook.
Then, as part of the retreat activities, the teens made one whopper of a meal! They deboned and shredded turkey, mixed-up mashed potatoes, opened what seemed like endless cans of green beans, buttered 40 loaves of bread and cut cake into individual pieces. And amazingly, they did it all while fasting.
Once everything was ready, they drove to Toledo and the 47 teens served the meal, cleaned at the mission, washed dishes, took office chair rides and put on a little choir concert to lift the spirits of the homeless.
In the evening, back at St. Wendelin High School, the students got into small family groups and received $30 (thanks to the CLC), made a menu of meals for three days for a local needy family, walked to Kroger to see how far they could stretch their dollars to buy the needed groceries. After purchasing the food, it was given to the sharing kitchen in Fostoria for distribution.
After sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor of the library and gym, the teens got up bright and early Monday morning to serve brunch at the Fostoria sharing kitchen and each of the three local nursing homes.
Not only did these teens do a great thing to help their brothers and sisters in need, they learned a lot and had fun. Thank you to all who donated their time, money and resources for the 30-hour Famine project; together we can make a difference.
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