By Travis Thayer
(Bright, Ind.) – You might get a little hungry at times, but on the bright side you'll save on your grocery bill if you participate in a local church's effort to raise awareness of local and global poverty. About 1.4 billion people on our planet live in extreme poverty, eating and drinking on less than $2 a day. During the week of March 15-22, members of Bright Christian Church will be eating nothing but rice and beans in an effort to replicate the unsatisfactory diet of those less fortunate. "Two-thirds of the world’s population see beans and rice as a staple food for survival," says Linda Hutchinson, family life director at Bright Christian Church. The money church members save at the grocery store or from dining out will be donated to organizations dedicated to feeding impoverished people around the world. Last year, Bright Christian Church was among over 30 different tri-state churches which partnered to raise $578,000 collectively toward those type of organizations. This year, each church participating is free to choose where the donations will go towards. Bright Christian Church has chosen to support two missions in Nairobi, Kenya. The church's fundraising goal is $66,000 in 29 days. Hutchinson says making a generous global impact is not new to the church. In 2011, Bright Christian Church raised over $60,000 for Impact Haiti and was able to use that money to package thousands of meals for the people of Haiti. In 2012, they church raised over $85,000 for Impact Ecuador partnering with Compassion International to build a church in the town of Ricaurte. Next week, a team of more than 20 people from Bright Christian Church will be leaving and visiting the church for the second time.