A few hours into their fast on Friday, August 17, the members of an Emmanuel Assembly of God youth group  were more concerned about singing karaoke and playing "Pictionary" than any rumblings in their tummies.

Youth and adults from the Onset church participated in the "30 Hour Famine," a national program and fundraiser meant to spread awareness about the problem of hunger worldwide.

The program is sponsored by World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization.

"Elvis was a big hit" on the karaoke machine, said Tabitha Kelley, the church youth director helping coordinate the "famine," while standing next to a table scattered with "Connect Four" game pieces.

Group members raised approximately $900 as part of the program, which will feed three children for a year, Kelley said. The group has yet to decide exactly where the money will be donated.

Despite the fun, 12-year-old Jaylen Gore, a Wareham Middle School 6th grader, kept his mind on the bigger reason he was fasting on Friday.

"I know that I'm getting something good out of it because I'm helping someone. I'm not just doing it for no reason at all," Gore said.

The fast continued until Saturday evening. The group watched educational videos, and engaged in discussions and prayer about the problem of hunger, and participated in games and activities.

For health reasons, soup and juice were available during the fast. Besides that, however, the line between what is allowed and what is not allowed in the fast was not always so clear.

"I asked my mom, 'Do you think we can do popsicles?' She said no, because it's a solid," said Kelley.

"We could let it melt, and drink it in a cup," said Joan Guenard, a teacher in the Assembly of God's children's Bible class. "But then we're getting technical."