Residence hall dwellers can do their part to help feed the homeless by forfeiting four Tuesday evening meals in the cafeteria next semester.

The NIU Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness is kicking off its annual skip-a-meal program with sign-up beginning this week.

Students in residence halls can sign up with their floor presidents to participate in the program on Jan. 29, Feb. 19, March 26, and April 23.

Each participant, by skipping all four meals, will generate five dollars to be put towards local and national charities.

Two DeKalb charities, Feed Our Older DeKalb and Public Action to Deliver Shelter, will receive 50 percent of the proceeds. The rest will go nationally to Save the Children and Meals for Millions.

In the past two years the project has raised $17,000, with more than 2,500 students participating in 1989, and almost 1,800 last semester.

“People don’t realize how many people die every day from hunger,” said Rebecca Anthony, Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness president.

Studies show that more people have died worldwide as a consequence of hunger in the past six years than have been killed in all the wars, revolutions and murders in the past 150 years.