A Little Musing about Hunger

Yesterday I observed Yom Kippur, a Jewish fast day during which many have the tradition to refrain from eating and drinking for about 25 hours.

Because it seemed appropriate, I started What is the What by David Eggers, which tells the story of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan. What particularly stood out to me, being that I was fasting, were the graphic and chilling descriptions of hunger.

I have never felt the gnawing pain of an empty belly, struggled to remember my last meal, nor watched someone beaten to death over a few meager bites. I realized: I have been hungry, but I have never known hunger.

For millions of people, in the US and around the world, hunger is a stark reality of everyday life. Yesterday, I was hungry by choice. Today, I'm not hungry by choice. It's important to take the time to count our blessings.

Here are some great organizations working to end hunger, both domestically and internationally:

• Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger
• FreeRice (help fight hunger and learn something!)
• So Others Might Eat (great DC organization)