Lafayette’s Julie Piller is in her third year of fasting in honor of Cesar Chavez.

Piller, who works at Lafayette’s Sister Carmen Community Center, said going without food for a few days seems easy when she considers that Chavez fasted for several weeks. Plus, she said, it helps remind her of how much she has.

"It puts you, in a physical way, in the same sacrificial space as somebody who was dedicated to nonviolence," she said. "For me, it feels like the sacrifice is so small compared to what is happening around the world and in our own country with extreme poverty."

About 50 people are participating in Lafayette’s third annual Community Fast, which is part of the city’s larger Cesar Chavez Celebration. The celebration, which goes through April 30, includes a variety of community events. There’s a multimedia art exhibit with an opening reception March 31, an annual march April 1 and a poetry reading April 9.

Cesar Chavez Celebration coordinator Daniel Escalante said the idea came from Chavez’s 36-day Fast for Life in 1988. At the end of the 36 days, Escalante said, others joined in to keep the fast going. For the Lafayette event, several community members fast for two to three days before "passing on" the fasting to another group until the last day, April 30.

The Latino Boys Leadership Group at Centaurus High School also is helping organize the fast and a ceremony on the last day.

"I thought this would be a meaningful way for many people in our community to honor Cesar’s legacy, commit or recommit to a social justice issue and create a strong sense of solidarity amongst people working for peace," Escalante said.

Kathleen Sepeda, who lives in Boulder, joined the fast this year. She didn’t eat from sunrise on Friday to sundown on Sunday. While she’s tried fasting alone before, she said she loved the idea of making it a community event.

"It’s comforting to know we’re all in it together," she said.

She said the toughest time was about 11 a.m. on the last day, when her stomach was growling loudly and she considered giving in to her hunger pangs. But, she said, she was able to mentally overcome the physical discomfort.

"There’s a lot of mind trip," she said. "I was really, really happy to get through that part. I could let myself down, but knowing there was a community I committed to made me want to keep going."

She said she thought often during her fast of those who don’t have access to food.

"In our culture, I have a lot of privileges," she said. "If I want something, I’ll have it. So many people in the world have so much less than I do."