It’s back!! After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, the charity fasting challenge is back again to help raise money for our local We Care LK Food Bank! Hooray!
Previously, we raised €1,300 and €1,050 for the local We Care LK Food Bank thanks be to God.
This year, we’re looking to raise even more!
We’re currently in the month of Ramadan where Muslims who are physically able are required to fast from daybreak to sunset every day for a month. This means no food or water during these hours. But it’s not as hard as you think!
We’re encouraging our non-Muslim friends and neighbours to get involved again this year and take the Fourth Annual Charity Fasting Challenge! If you think you won’t be able to do it, think again! People who took part over the last two years told us it wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be. Of course it was a challenge but they did just fine.
So, the Letterkenny Islamic Association would like to extend an invitation to all non-Muslims to take part in the Fourth Annual Charity Fasting Challenge.
What’s this sponsored fast about?
We’re inviting people to try fasting the way Muslims do for one day during Ramadan on Saturday the 16th of April. All money raised will be given to the We Care LK Food Bank. A big part of Ramadan is remembering those who may struggle to feed their families and being hungry during the day reminds us of their plight. People below the poverty line often rely on food banks to be able to feed themselves and their children. Please help them out!
If you want to fast according to the exact times Muslims in Letterkenny will fast, it’ll be from 4:44 am to 8:37 pm. Obviously, you don’t have to it exactly as we do it! If you want to only do part of the day or drink water throughout the day or whatever, that’s fine! We do encourage people to try it as we do it for the full experience but no pressure! 😉 The important thing is that you’re taking part and raising money for the food bank.
Keep reading for tips on how to prepare for the fast below.
Ways to Donate/Take Part
Here’s a downloadable sponsorship form so you can get your friends and family to sponsor you and show them you’re up for the challenge! 🙂
You can either open and print or Right Click -> Save as…
Come Break Your Fast With Us
We’d love you to come and break your fast as our guest and sample some delicious ethnic food. We regret that places are limited so if you’d like to join us, please fill out the Google form at the link below and come along to the Letterkenny Community Centre on Saturday the 16th of April at 8:30 pm. Just bring yourselves and an empty stomach. We’ll take care of the rest! 😉
We regret that places are limited so if you’d like to come along, don’t delay!
What’s this Ramadan all about?
Ramadan is one of the holy months in the Islamic calendar. Sort of like lent but for Muslims. Muslims fast from dawn to dusk every day for a month. Whilst fasting, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking (even water), sexual relations and generally try extra hard to be a better person. That means trying extra hard not to lose their temper, gossip, backbite or anything else. It’s a form of worship where the idea is to get better at self-restraint (it’s like a workout for the soul) and to feel empathy for and really understand what it’s like for people around the world who may have a lack of food or clean water.
Muslims believe that fasting is a commandment from God. The same God that Christians and Jews believe in. Muslims view Islam as a continuation of the message of previous messengers of God who are shared in Islam (e.g. Jesus, Moses, Abraham etc).
For how long do they fast for exactly?
Ramadan starts approximately 10 days earlier each year. This year, it started on the 2ndof April and will go on till the first week of May. That means the longest day of fasting this year will be from just after 4 am to just after 9 pm.
What?!! 17 hours without even water?!
Yep! Though it’s easier than you might think. People prepare by making sure to drink plenty of water the night before and eat foods that give a slow release of energy and water (like beans and cucumber). If someone is feeling dangerously faint then they really must and are expected to break their fast. You’re not supposed to hurt yourself!
If you are planning on fasting, please be sure to eat a good meal full of protein and carbohydrates late the night before.
Who fasts?
Generally, anybody from the age of puberty onwards fasts. Those who don’t have to fast include children, people travelling and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
IMPORTANT: Who DEFINITELY shouldn’t fast?
There are certain categories of people who should not fast for medical or other reasons. These include people who have an illness or a condition that would prevent them from fasting or where fasting would be dangerous for them. If someone is not feeling well for any reason or is experiencing something that may make it particularly difficult to go without food or water, they shouldn’t fast.
Be safe!
If you are feeling unwell or dangerously faint – please break your fast! We don’t want anybody getting hurt! Muslims who are fasting and feel faint are expected to break their fast and the same goes for anyone taking on this challenge.
Good luck and thanks for taking part!
