A recurring theme in this blog is the celebration of people and/or organizations that have a positive impact on their communities. What they do is not easy, but it’s inspirational, and we don’t hear enough about them. So I’ve decided to commit to singing their praises at least once a month. I’m calling it Mid-Month Marvels. If you have any suggestions for the focus of this monthly spotlight, let me know in the comments below!
Here are two daunting statistics for you. 821 million people in the world don’t get the food they need to live a healthy life, and malnutrition is the single largest contributor to disease in the world. But this need can be addressed. The number of people facing hunger in the world has dropped from 24 percent in 1990 to about 10 percent today.
Rise Against Hunger is a nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to address this need. And according to their website, “the world has enough production potential and distribution capability to feed everyone.”
Rise Against Hunger focuses primarily on distributing meals at schools and health facilities in underprivileged countries. This has a multilevel impact. If parents know their child will get a healthy meal by going to school, this will also increase that child’s chances of getting an education. And having food at health facilities allows people to also address their health concerns.
But this organization also responds to natural and man-made crises, because in any major crisis, food is often the thing that is most needed. That makes perfect sense. You can’t survive a drought or a flood or a war zone or an earthquake if you don’t have food.
But the part of this organization that intrigues me most is that they firmly believe in community empowerment. They provide programs that promote better agricultural methods, business skills and market access. This increases local food production and income abilities. They also support fish and livestock production to diversify diets.
There are many ways you can partner with Rise Against Hunger to create a world without hunger. You can host fundraising and meal packaging events. You can volunteer, and you can also support them financially. You can even take a one to two week trip to a country in need and volunteer to represent the organization there. You can help spread the word about the great need for this organization, and also educate people about the complex need that surrounds the hunger issue. Your company can become a corporate sponsor, and fundraise as well.
Please join me in supporting Rise Against Hunger. It’s a very worthy cause with an international reach. We are, after all, all in this together.
The ultimate form of recycling: Buy my book, read it, and then donate it to your local public library or your neighborhood little free library! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 