With Several of the 60 CIW hunger strikers having been hospatilized over the past few days, the Florida Farmworkers decide to end their fast today.

Yesterday, CIW workers and supporters met with representatives from various national religious groups, who enthusiastically endorsed the CIW campaign. And today letters were delivered to Taco Bell headquarters in support of CIW from the National Council of Churches, the Presbetarian Church USA, the United Church of Christ, and the head of the Los Angeles Archdiosie Cardinal Mahoney.

The religious groups also encouraged CIW to end the hunger strike, for fear of serious health risks to the fasting workers -- and CIW's religious allies promised to carry the struggle forward in the Christian Lenten season (which begins today, Ash Wednesday in the Christian tradition).

The letters from the religious groups were delivered today to Taco bell world headquarters along with thousands of letters of support for CIW and the hunger strikers from around the country.

The hunger strikers broke their fast today at approximately 10:00am PST, when they broke bread outside Taco Bell Headquarters. A couple hours later, they ate lunch at the Sisters of St Joseph's convent in Orange County.

(This article was originally posted to LA IMC at 4pm PST 3-5-03.)