Students fast for local charity

Participants in the second-annual Ramadan Fast-a-thon gathered in the Forest Greenleaf Cafeteria Tuesday to break their one-day fast with a plate of date fruits and a dinner of traditional Middle Eastern dishes. \nThe IU Muslim Student Union organized the event, and with the help of about 200 non-Muslim students and numerous sponsors, they raised $550 for the Bloomington Community Kitchen, a local agency that provides warm meals six days-a-week to the hungry. \nThe event was held during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims all over the world don't eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. \nImad Rahman, president of the Bloomington Islamic Center, said this event not only gave students the experience of fasting, but also the opportunity to understand the feelings of the impoverished. \n"If you've not eaten for a few hours, things are really put into perspective," Rahman said. "You never stop and appreciate what a blessing a dry piece of bread or a glass of water is. You'll never look at it like that if your stomach is full."\nVicki Pierce, Community Kitchen's executive director, said she was pleased with the outcome and that the money would be nearly enough to provide a day's worth of meals at the kitchen's two local sites. \nShe said she always thinks it's good when there is an opportunity to educate people about hunger in the community, since Monroe County has the highest poverty rate in the sate. She also feels it is especially for students, who may not be aware of the magnitude of the problem.\n"Sometimes ... we can get isolated and not realize the poverty that exists in this community," Pierce said. "I know because I was an undergraduate here. A whole lot of people are interested in helping doing something to alleviate hunger in our community once they realize it exists. So by educating them, this tends to happen more and more."\nRahman said in the U.S., approximately 33 million people live with the daily reality of hunger. Pierce said 12 percent of the children in Monroe County live at or below the poverty level, which is why it is so important to educate and mobilize people to fight hunger. \nSome local sponsors who made donations to the Community Kitchen include Turquaz Café, Runcible Spoon, Bombay House as well as individual professors' contributions. \nSenior Rafael Davis said he learned about the Fast-a-Thon from a friend and wanted to participate because he heard the proceeds would go to those living in poverty. \n"You fast, and it helps you understand how people in poverty feel," Davis said. "I understand that struggle."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.