Why do this?

I'm sure more than one person has thought: "That sounds hard. Why are you doing it? Why can't you simply just send money?" 

My answer? By experiencing hunger in a personal way, we will heighten our own understanding of poverty in the world. We want to bring attention to these issues *and* raise funds for a specific organization and specific individuals (whom we've met and who are in need). We chose beans and rice as the standard meal because it is the staple diet in Nicaragua and in much of the developing world. On a practical basis, we also want to highlight simple ways to save money which will enable us to give to those who could benefit more.  

How about you - why would you consider doing this? And if you have done it before, why did you do it?