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You've probably heard people talking about the hunger crisis at least once in the last year. You might very well have heard about it and thought "but there's always hunger in the world, what's so special about this year?"
What's special about this year is that the cost of food has doubled world-wide, in some places tripled. In only a year. Rice, in particular, one of the staples around the world, has shot up dramatically. This is not just business as usual, this is death for people and communities already living on the edge. (And the US and other first-world countries diverting a food crop like corn into sustainable-energy resources to replace gas is only making things worse.)
So please, if you have anything you can spare, find a good charity that's working on the problem, and make a donation. Lutheran World Relief is a good one; 91% of the money they get goes directly to their programs (which is pretty good; some charities spend a lot more on advertising and administration). They also build sustainable projects as well as immediate disaster relief, like helping farmers grow more crops instead of just giving them a handout. Project Peanut Butter is another good one that provides food to malnourished children. There are a lot of others.
(BTW, the "support a specific child" charities are notorious for spending a large percentage of their money on overhead costs, and do nothing to address the underlying problems in the area. They're not bad, just not as helpful as other efforts.)
Go. Give. Help save the life and livlihood of someone you've never even met.
What's special about this year is that the cost of food has doubled world-wide, in some places tripled. In only a year. Rice, in particular, one of the staples around the world, has shot up dramatically. This is not just business as usual, this is death for people and communities already living on the edge. (And the US and other first-world countries diverting a food crop like corn into sustainable-energy resources to replace gas is only making things worse.)
So please, if you have anything you can spare, find a good charity that's working on the problem, and make a donation. Lutheran World Relief is a good one; 91% of the money they get goes directly to their programs (which is pretty good; some charities spend a lot more on advertising and administration). They also build sustainable projects as well as immediate disaster relief, like helping farmers grow more crops instead of just giving them a handout. Project Peanut Butter is another good one that provides food to malnourished children. There are a lot of others.
(BTW, the "support a specific child" charities are notorious for spending a large percentage of their money on overhead costs, and do nothing to address the underlying problems in the area. They're not bad, just not as helpful as other efforts.)
Go. Give. Help save the life and livlihood of someone you've never even met.
LWR and the Food Crisis
Date: 2008-08-25 06:09 pm (UTC)From: (Anonymous)Thank you for your timely words about the global food crisis and your endorsement of Lutheran World Relief (http://lwr.org/index.asp). As you mentioned, we're proud of our efficiency ratio and our focus on long-term growing projects that build sustainability and independence for farmers and families.
Please continue spreading the word about Fill the Bowl (http://lwr.org/ftb) (our response to the global food crisis) and let me know if I can be a resource for you in the future.
Peace,
Dan from LWR - dlee@lwr.org
no subject
Date: 2008-08-26 10:24 pm (UTC)From: (Anonymous)I noticed your this post on your blog that deals with starvation. My sisters and I have a band called Truth On Earth. We write, produce, and sing original songs about major problems in the world such as Factory Farming, Cyberbullying, Starvation and Child Abuse to name a few. 70% of our profits go to those who are working on real solutions so that we can get earth on track and leave a planet worth inheriting to future generations. We would appreciate any networking suggestions you might have that would help us get the word out to a wider audience. At truthonearthband.com you can hear our music and read more about our mission. We just added our first music video "Factory Farm" to our youtube page as well.
Hope to hear from you. Thanks,
Serena