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NEWS
| OCTOBER 26, 2005
Fast Cash
Students go without food to raise
money for the hungry
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| The Shorthorn: Drew Campbell |
| Economics junior Travis Malone
participated in Fast-A-Thon, put on by the Muslim
Student Association on Tuesday. The event encouraged people
to fast from sunrise to sunset to raise money for Tarrant
County Food Bank. |
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By Elyse
Malanowski
Contributor to The Shorthorn
Economics junior Travis Malone spent most of Tuesday thirsty and
almost forgot he couldn’t drink water.
But then he remembered why his throat was dry.
Malone participated in the Muslim Students Association’s Fast-A-Thon
to help raise money for the Tarrant County Food Bank.
The association asked local businesses for a donation as part of
the event that encouraged students of all religions to abstain from
eating for the day.
International business sophomore Alia Selim, Events Committee chairwoman,
said about $800 was raised.
“We were hoping for $1,000, but it was still really good,
considering we only had nine entities,” she said.
Misjudeen Raji, doctoral student and association president, said
this was the first year for the event and that about 150 people
signed up.
Participants were allowed to eat before 6:33 a.m. Tuesday but not
again until 6:30 p.m., when they attended a dinner in the University
Center Rio Grande Ballroom to conclude the all-day fast.
Malone said that one of his friends asked him to fast because it
was for a good cause. He said he found that with tests all day,
he didn’t have time to think about food.
“The one thing I’ve been trying to do is keep myself
busy,” Malone said. “I’ve thought more about how
I’m hungry, but no particular foods have come to mind.”
He said he’s a fan of soda, so resisting the temptation to
have his daily Coke was hard. He said he never felt weak but did
feel hazy while he was studying and had to reread some sentences.
“It’s an interesting feeling because today I am having
this hunger feeling,” he said. “But there are people
who feel this hunger a lot.”
Malone is Christian and said he has fasted once before for religious
reasons, not charity.
“I think it’s something that could be practiced more
among Christians,” he said. “When you feel hunger, you
can feel closer to God.”
An ex-philosophy major, he said he already had some knowledge about
Islam and Ramadan.
“A lot of people in the Middle East practice this where there
is desert,” he said. “It is more difficult over there
than it is here.”
Malone said he would encourage others to participate in the future
and that he learned he can go awhile without food or water.
“I felt good that I got to help people,” he said. “Even
though I will never meet them, I helped them out.”
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