Monday, August 13, 2012

FASTATHON


Though I forward friends’ request for money and try to give all the time, myself, I rarely send out fundraising requests myself. Sometimes I worry about people being over-bombarded with such charity requests. Other times, I wonder if we focus too much on the downstream problems of caring for people and relieving immediate needs and not enough time on the upstream problems of figuring out what is the root, systemic cause of the needs in the first place. A friend of mine who works for Google asked me to join her in her company’s fastathon, and  had to remind myself that even if I work on the causes of hunger, I still have to deal with the immediate needs of the hungry now. So I told her I would participate.
So I am excited to let you know that I was participating in a Fast-a-Thon at Google on August 9, 2012. However since I was out of town traveling, I’m observing the fast today, on the 13th of August, 2012. We are raising money for world hunger relief through Action Against Hunger (a top charity with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator). Last year, we were able to raise over $171,000 for similar organizations, through the fundraising and pledges to fast of 600 Google employees, and with the support of Google's Social Responsibility team.

To provide some context, we are currently in the Islamic month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast (abstaining from both food and drink) every day from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Christians, and people of other religious traditions fast as an act of submission, solidarity, and remembrance. One of the primary reasons for fasting is to call attention to those who go hungry every day, not as an exercise of religious expression, but as a fact of life.

I’d love for you to support my fast by making a donation of any amount to this charity. You can donate directly or send me the money first, as Google will match 100% of all donations above $50 USD that are donated through me:
·  To take advantage of this gift match program and maximize your contribution, please let me know how you would like to send the money to me (i.e. cash, check, bank transfer, PayPal, Square, etc.). I will then make your donation to Action Against Hunger and process the Google matching.
·  To donate directly yourself, please visit their donation site at http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/take-action/donate and complete the form. Note: Google will not match this contribution. Afterwards, please let me know the amount of your donation so I can keep track of the total funds I raise.

It costs just $50 to save a life by providing a malnourished child with treatment. Much Love and Crazy Thanks in advance for your support!

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