MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — “I’ve never put my faith to the test in a bigger way,” said Dave “Big Burrito” Burman. Wiping away a tear he recalled the Taco Bell grilled 7-layer burrito, cheesy nachos, crispy potato soft taco and 20 oz. Sprite that he skipped last week to send a grand total of $6 to Mount Vernon Academy’s Save-Our-School fundraiser.
“I’m not going to lie: it still makes me hungry to think about it,” said Burman who was joined by Adventists across America in sacrificing one Taco Bell meal last week to rescue Mount Vernon which had been given until March 10 to raise $3 million or face closure.
“To anyone else this seems like a small thing to go without, but within the Adventist subculture,Taco Bell runs are the closest members come to a pilgrimage experience,” said Loma Linda-based Adventist sociologist, Pam Andreasen.
“It’s a real testament to the grass roots support for Mount Vernon, the oldest Adventist boarding academy still in operation, that Adventists would even consider giving up beans and cheese in this way,” said Andreasen. “I mean, it’s gotta say something when one skipped Taco Bell meal was all it took to save a beloved academy that has been around since 1893.”
“I’d always heard about sacrificial giving in church but it didn’t become real until I stared straight ahead while driving past Taco Bell last Thursday,” said Atlanta-based Bertha Bolton. She admitted that she wished she could have sacrificed her weekly salad-bar spending instead. “That would have been a little lighter on the pocket book.”
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In all seriousness, Mount Vernon Academy really needs our help. Please donate here to keep this school going.
Need more inspiration? Watch this clip by a senior at Mount Vernon:
