SHINE raises money, awarenes for world hunger

Geoff Murphy was hungry.

It was 2:45 p.m. Saturday, more than 24 hours since his last meal — a whole pizza, which he ate in preparation for the 30 Hour Famine.

The famine is typically a nationwide event organized by Christian group World Vision International. Participants fast, or go without food, for 30 hours to raise funds and awareness for world hunger.

This weekend, however, Serving Hoosiers in Need and other participants from IU and Ivy Tech Community College localized the event by pairing the fast with volunteer work.
Murphy is the treasurer of SHINE, which brought him in on the project.

SHINE President Stacy Chattin said the goal of the first 30 Hour Famine at IU was to raise awareness of Bloomington’s poverty and homelessness.

“This 30 Hour Famine is kind of getting our feet wet in what it’s like to be low-income or homeless, where you don’t have access to three meals a day, and it might not be until tomorrow until you have access to a meal,” Murphy said.

Participants met at 6 p.m. Friday in Kinsey Hollow, where they walked to The Warehouse, a site abandoned in the 1960s that is being renovated as a church and community center.

The Warehouse, which had been used by various organizations for storage since its abandonment, served as the event’s epicenter.

Participants slept at the church and spent Saturday organizing the warehouse and cleaning the floors.

Additionally, they went out into the community to volunteer at organizations such as My Sister’s Closet and Backstreet Missions Thrift Store.

Participants were also given the option to donate money to Backstreet Missions in addition to their service contributions.

In total, they raised $130, enough to provide 55 Bloomington residents with a Thanksgiving meal this November, Chattin said.

A group of volunteers also spent time at Genesis House, a local homeless shelter.
“A lot of people had never been to a shelter,” Chattin said. “A lot of people thought it was eye-opening to see that so many people call it home.”

Murphy said as a student it is easy to be unaware of the outside city of Bloomington and the issues some residents face.

“You view life through the lens of a student,” Murphy said. “You go to your classrooms and you go home, whether it’s on campus or off, and you really don’t see that there’s a bigger picture outside of campus life. So, this is trying to bring that up a little bit.”