San Gabriel Valley : Teenagers Go Hungry to Fight Famine

At least 1,000 teenagers in the San Gabriel Valley have vowed to go hungry to help fight world hunger.

Hoping to raise $4 million nationally, they are joining more than 250,000 people throughout the United States in a 30-hour fast, said Rachel Repko, spokeswoman for World Vision, the nonprofit organization that has sponsored the program for the last five years. Last year’s fast raised $2.8 million.

Pledges and sponsorships from friends and family members raise money for the cause, but the fasting raises awareness.

“It’s an educational tool,” Repko said. The fast, which began at 1 p.m. Friday and will conclude at 7 tonight, is “just long enough for the kids to go to bed hungry and wake up hungry,” she said. “So they know what it is like to miss a few meals.”

Several fasters said they were excited about contributing to a worthy cause.

“We have so much, and I think it’s important that we learn to give to others in need and share with the poor and hungry,” said Steve Moser, 16, of Sierra Madre.