What is the 30 Hour Famine event?

 

For over 50 years, young people have been doing the 30 Hour Famine event to raise awareness and funds for children and families suffering from chronic hunger.

 

What is the 30 Hour Famine event?

 

For over 50 years, young people have been doing the 30 Hour Famine event to raise awareness and funds for children and families suffering from chronic hunger.

What is the 30 Hour Famine event?

 

For over 50 years, young people have been doing the 30 Hour Famine event to raise awareness and funds for children and families suffering from chronic hunger.




A fun and meaningful personal challenge

The 30 Hour Famine is an event where people come together to help others and to grow personally – all while having a lot of fun. It’s an opportunity to:

  • learn about global hunger.
  • raise funds to help families in need create sustainable food solutions.
  • take on local service work in your community.
  • build relationships, working together for a common cause. 

 
If you’re new to the 30 Hour Famine event, learn more below and sign up to get started on a great group experience. If you’re a returning group, thank you! You can log in to get this year’s event started.
 

What happens in 30 Hours?

 
QUALITY TIME TOGETHER.  Thirty hours with your friends — what an opportunity for bonding! Activities for church and non-church groups will make the time pass quickly — except over that really hungry stretch in the middle!  

 
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING. Feel something of hunger while supporting those who experience hunger every day. Videos, simulations and reflections help expand your understanding of global hunger and how you can respond.

 
SUPPORT GOOD WORK. You’ll get the tools you need to raise funds for fighting hunger. This year’s Famine event funds will help support struggling families in the Democratic Republic of Congo.


SERVICE. Some groups use part of the 30 hours to help others locally. You can decide what works for your group or look for ideas in the Leader’s Guide.

 
A TON OF FUN. It goes without saying, right? One of the reasons groups keep doing this activity every year is the fun memories. Make yours an event to remember!

 
CELEBRATION. When it’s all done, you get to celebrate! Take joy in the good you’ve accomplished and break your fast together with a communal meal of your choosing.

And don’t sweat the details too much! Your 30 Hour Famine Leader’s Guide comes with a multi-week schedule to help you prepare a memorable experience.
 
 
 

From Canada to the world — with love

Did you know the 30 Hour Famine event started in Canada?

1971. A church basement in Calgary. A 17-year-old girl. That’s where it all started. Now, it’s a global movement.

Ruth Roberts and 14 of her friends saw on television news reports of suffering children during a famine in Africa. They wanted to help and came up with the idea of fasting at their church.

“We chose to stop eating for a day and a half, so we could understand, even in a small way, what those children were experiencing,” recalls Ruth. The group raised $600 for World Vision to help people caught in the famine.

"It was just so frightening and so scary," says Roberts, "I just asked them this one simple question: 'Have you ever gone hungry?' And all 14 of us shook our heads and said, ‘No.’ I wondered what it would be like, and that's where the idea came from."

To date, nearly six million students have participated in the 30 Hour Famine event so that hungry kids overseas could eat. In 2017, teens in 14 countries around the world organized their own versions of the event. Pretty cool Canadian export, eh?