The History of Homeless & Hungry:

In the summer of 2006, youth director Erik Hatch (First Lutheran Church, Fargo) found himself with a core group of kids who were increasingly passionate about serving God and his Kingdom. In an attempt to challenge their faith and discipleship, the group decided to create an event called “Homeless & Hungry.” The idea was that this philanthropic event, led by youth, would attempt to raise awareness and dollars for the plight of the homeless & hungry in the FM area.

One of the main reasons H&H was created was to expose mission work possibilities in our own backyard. One of the criticisms of mission trips and events has been that we are quick to serve people in places different than our own but seldom take care of those in our own communities. Because of this, H&H was birthed. At the core, this youth-driven event encourages participants to step into the shoes of a homeless person – so participants go without food or shelter for 30 hours. The only shelter they are allowed to have is that of a cardboard box. There are no luxury items allowed – no pillows, no electronic devices, no toothbrushes, no deodorant, and no food.
 
The core of H&H is empowerment. Empowering people to realize that they can change the world will, in fact, change this world. Additionally, creating awareness for the plight of those who are in fact homeless & hungry will help the cause of combating poverty.

Each participant is encouraged to raise at least $365 from sponsors. The reason behind this is two-fold. 1) It is said that you can feed a person for $1/day, and we want the participants to be responsible for feeding a person for at least an entire year. 2) The more sponsors we have, the more awareness is created.

In 2006, 67 people ranging in age from 11-62 raised $51,000 – made over 70 fleece blankets, and collected over 3,500 pounds of food. In 2007, other schools & churches partnered with First Lutheran Church and the event grew exponentially. 200 participants ranging in age from 8-70 raised $98,000 – made over 200 fleece blankets, and collected over 11,000 pounds of food.

Homeless & Hungry is now attempting to take this community by storm. All churches, schools, businesses, & individuals are encouraged to participate in this monumental undertaking. H&H is not about denominations, specific organizations, or individuals. This event is about THE CHURCH coming together to help “the least of these.” If we don’t stand up to make a difference and change this world, then who will?