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Sower Project plants seeds at U. Oklahoma to help feed Africa
By Stephanie Tso
Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)
04/13/2006

(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. — Having to think about where your next meal is going to come from is not a problem that most students have to face.

But in Africa it is a problem that needs some attention.

This is where The Sower Project comes into play.

The Sower Project, which allows students to skip a meal and donate the money they would have spent on lunch, was launched in 2001 and is now in its fifth year. Students working for the project will be at Couch Cafeteria, Cate Center and Oklahoma Memorial Union from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

This project was created and is mainly coordinated by Campus Crusade for Christ. Other student organizations also work as volunteers.

A coordination between the organization and the University of Oklahoma makes it possible for students to donate not only cash and checks but also SoonerSense and meal points. The Sower Project also works with a Christian Relief Organization called World Vision to receive government assistance.

For every $1 someone donates, the government will match $8, said Misty Cook, a Campus Crusade for Christ staff member and coordinator of The Sower Project.

All the money will go to help feed hungry children in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Thirteen countries in Africa that suffer from famine will receive the proceeds of this charity, said Sean McGrath, director of Campus Crusade for Christ.

These countries include Kenya, Ethiopia, Niger, Uganda and Sudan — just to name a few, he said.

"Just (Wednesday) we've raised probably a few thousand," McGrath said. "There is a lot of abundance here in this country, and it's nice to help in the fight against world hunger."

Levi Heard, marketing senior, volunteered for The Sower Project at the union Wednesday and said she would help out again today.

"I felt like it was something I could do to help out," he said.

Heard also said he tries to inform people about what they're doing and that he's not there to make anyone feel guilty.

Even if someone donates $2, that still becomes $16 with government matching, he said.

Copyright ©2006 Oklahoma Daily via UWire



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