Tomorrow, Sue Westin will hold the opening reception of
her art exhibit entitled “A Visual Feast,” which will include a mixer event
held by the Manchester and the Mountains Chamber of Commerce.A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit
Friends of the World Food Program (Friends of WFP). The event will be held at
The Gallery at Equinox Village in Manchester, VT from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The
exhibit will be open from November 5 through December 1.Stop in to see the beautiful paintings and
help support Friends of WFP!
Tens of thousands of people run the New York City Marathon every year.This year, one special volunteer will be running the NYC Marathon in support of the 1 billion people who face hunger every day around the globe.On November 1, Evan Jurkovich will begin his 26.2 mile run through the five boroughs of New York City in support of Friends of the World Food Program (Friends of WFP).
Q: This year is the 40th running of the NYC Marathon, and your first time running a marathon.What makes this race extra special for you?
Evan: Being my first marathon does make this one special. But it’s even a bit more than that. Not only is it my first marathon, but it’s really my first major undertaking in my post-collegiate competitive running career. Training in college was one thing – there was a team, coaching, a more flexible schedule, athletic trainers. It was easier to push myself and stay focused. It’s a new challenge now with a full time job, coaching myself without the same resources, which almost makes it more rewarding.
And running for Friends of WFP certainly helps me get through the grind and stay motivated. It helps answer the question, “what am I running for?” – besides myself – that was so easily answered before.
Q: You have been training hard the last few months for the NYC Marathon. While some of your training must focus on the patience to just keep running, do you ever keep yourself going by thinking about the cause of global hunger you are running to support?
Evan: I do, and it helps to put more meaning behind my running. I’ve spent a lot of time on the trails and roads and you can’t help but think during that time. Sometimes it’s marathon daydreaming, but more often than not I return my thoughts to the cause I’m able to run for.
Over the years of running I’ve spent my time thinking about life and the things I care about and hope to do. It’s rewarding being able to coalesce my passion of running with other passions like world hunger, global poverty and education.So during an hours-long run, it’s energizing to think about my running meaning more. Q: Through appeals to friends and family, you have already raised over $1,000 for Friends of WFP.How do you make the link between your run and giving for global hunger clear to your friends?
Evan: Yes! And a big thanks to them! Some might say it’s called “me bugging people so much they give in and donate.” But really I think it’s been more about people recognizing something I’m passionate about – running – and using it to raise awareness about another passion – ending world hunger – and people are supporting me in that quest. And I’m grateful for that support. Many people know I’m running the marathon and know how hard I’ve been training. I figured, why not use this exposure to help where I can? My ideal situation would be that for every mile I ran, a dollar would come in. Trust me, I would run for a long time if that was the case. Many people don’t like running and think I’m crazy for doing it as much as I do. So I’ve been telling them, “I’ll do the running, you do the giving.” It was my goal all along to find a cause to run for, and I’m so happy it worked out with Friends of WFP. My running and marathon training takes up a lot of my time and I’ve come to a point in my life where I want to give back more. During marathon training, I don’t have much time to give back, so being able to run for world hunger really helped fulfill my marathon experience – to make it about more than just me. Q: Is there anything else you would like to add? Evan: As I’ve prepared for the NYC Marathon I’ve noticed many other people running for causes, too. It’s great, and it’s a side to marathon running I really didn’t know existed until I stepped in. There are fast people, slow people, famous people and average people all using the personal sacrifices they’ve made for something bigger. That’s really what I think the marathon is all about. This whole experience for me has been quite a journey. And I’m thrilled I’ve made that journey with Friends of WFP. Upon completing his many months of training and the marathon itself on November 1, Evan will have run about 1,000 miles in support of ending global hunger. Friends of WFP thanks Evan for his time and commitment to support the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).If you would like to support Evan’s cause, he’s asking for a donation of $1 per mile. To support his campaign, please go here. All proceeds go to Friends of WFP and support WFP programs around the world. Read Evan’s blog to hear more of his thoughts as he prepares for the NYC Marathon. -Jessica Alatorre
Supporters of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) around
the world are stepping up to raise awareness about global hunger. Friends Lionel
Margueron and Laurent Rochat of Switzerland are among these dedicated WFP
advocates. The pair biked across Cambodia and Thailand last month, beginning in
Phnom Penh on September 7 and ending in Bangkok on September 21, to raise money
for WFP as part of Yum! Brands’ World Hunger Relief campaign. The travel was
paid for entirely by Lionel and Laurent and all donations went to WFP.
While on the road, they were met with some surprising
setbacks. At times, the two had to push their bikes through knee-high water
brought on by heavy rains. On their way to the Thai border, they were advised
not to leave the road due to a large presence of unexploded landmines.Given these difficulties, you might ask, “Why
bikes?” On Laurent and Lionel’s blog,
they say they chose to bicycle because it’s a “slow and respectful means of
transport, [and] the bicycle allows a more direct and faster contact with the
local population and its culture.”
Lionel and Laurent say that they were touched by their
experiences on the journey. When they decided to stop in a remote area on their
way to Chanthaburi, they encountered a local family. “We try to get to know
them a little better. As always, it is quite simply that these people invite us
to sit and share a moment of life,” they say in their blog.
While their trip is over, their message of hope endures. By
the end of September, Laurent and Lionel’s bike ride had raised more than
$10,000 for WFP.
World Food Day takes place on October 16, a mere two days
away! The purpose of World Food Day is to raise awareness and encourage action
to alleviate hunger around the world. This year’s events are of utmost
importance as the number of hungry people has increased to over 1 billion for
the first time in history. If you’ve thought about getting involved but don’t
have the time or don’t know how to start, this is a golden opportunity. Both
the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and Friends of WFP have a number of
ways for you to get involved that can be as simple as having dinner.
WFP suggests
simple actions. For example, try tweeting hunger facts to friends to raise
awareness or playing the quiz game on FreeRice.com, which gives
10 grains of rice to the hungry for every question answered correctly. You can
even make a meal for $1 with friends to understand what many people around the
world do everyday.
Friends of WFP also has a number of events taking place
around the United States thanks to dedicated supporters and WFP Committee
volunteers. In Houston, Texas, students are being asked to skip lunch and
donate the money they would have spent on their meals to Friends of WFP. The FIGHT campaign, organized by a group of
high school students in Houston, will be distributing information and holding
classroom sessions on hunger.
Additionally, the Melting Pot in Boca Raton, Florida will
donate 15 percent of your bill to Friends of WFP if you mention “World Food Day”
between October 16 and 23. Check
to see if there’s an event near you!
Fighting global hunger with food might seem like an obvious solution - but this month, restaurants around the nation are teaming up with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to put a new spin on feeding the hungry.
Chefs in Colorado and New York have teamed up with WFP to raise funds for its "Fill the Cup" campaign to feed hungry children around the world. During the month of October, four participating restaurants will offer a special grains dish meant to reflect the grains that many WFP recipients eat. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from each sale will benefit WFP's school meals programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Participating restaurants include Inside Park at St. Bart's, Convivio and Dos Caminos in New York City, and TAG Restaurant in Denver, Co.
WFP's "Fill the Cup" campaign raises funds and support for WFP's school meals program, which reaches an average of 20 million children each year. School meals ensure that schoolchildren receive at least one nutritious meal each day, which improves their concentration and development. School meals also offer an incentive for parents to send their children back to school day after day.
To learn more about WFP's school meals program, click here.
-Alli Bailey
Communications Assistant
Friends of WFP
Food blogger Marc Matsumoto is taking a bite out of world hunger. On September 25, Matsumoto joined 11 of the nation’s top food bloggers to launch the Quaker Oats/Goodbite.com “Awaken Your Senses” challenge. With your help, Matsumoto can win $10,000 to benefit Friends of the World Food Program (Friends of WFP) and help fight world hunger.
Last week 12 food bloggers shared their favorite food memory via a video diary posted at YouTube.com/QuakerTalk. Goodbite.com chef David Lawrence will create an oatmeal topping based on each video. Website visitors will vote for their favorite oatmeal topping, and the blogger associated with the winning topping will receive $10,000 to donate to the charity of their choice.
Matsumoto’s video diary will be posted next week, so check back then and help Friends of WFP feed the hungry! Visit http://www.youtube.com/quakertalk to learn more.
"I wanted to see with my own eyes what hunger means," said Aguilera. "As a mom my heart just breaks when I see how young mothers...struggle to feed their children. I don’t think I can ever forget these images."
Joined by husband Jordan Bratman, Aguilera traveled with WFP to several villages in the highlands of Guatemala, where up to 80 percent of indigenous children are undernourished. Guatemala has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the fourth highest in the world.
World Hunger Relief is now an especially critical campaign because for the first time in history, over 1 billion people in the world are living in hunger. At the same time, WFP faces an estimated budget shortfall of $3 billion for 2009 - meaning many of its life-saving food assistance programs may face cutbacks. For example, 150,000 children and pregnant and nursing women in Guatemala are at risk of losing WFP's nutritious food supplements.
"WFP urgently needs donations to keep feeding some 150,000 women and undernourished children" in Guatemala, said Aguilera. "I want to raise awareness and open people's eyes so they can get the funds they need to keep on working."
Right now, your support is more
important than ever for those pushed deeper into poverty and hunger.
Please watch this video, share it with your friends and
remember: we couldn’t help the World Food Program provide assistance to
millions of people each year without your support! Hunger is solvable and
together we can make a difference.
Next week, the top industrialized nations of the world will gather in Pittsburgh, PA to address the pressing issues of our global economy. Collectively, the Group of 20 (G20) represents 85 percent of the world’s economy. Given the severity of the global economic crisis, what these nations discuss on September 24-25 could have an important ripple effect across the globe. As these countries come together, where do we stand on ending global hunger?
“The double whammy of the financial crisis and the still record high food prices around the world is delivering a devastating blow. Throw in a storm, a drought and a conflict and you have a recipe for disaster,” said Josette Sheeran, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).
According to Sheeran, the world has a stake in responding to urgent hunger needs. “We have seen it throughout human history that a hungry world is a dangerous world,” she told UN Radio. “If people don't have enough to eat, only one out of three things happens: they either revolt, they migrate or they die. It is much better to apply targeted help, effective help and efficient help to those people than to allow those consequences to happen."
WFP is not immune to the global economic crisis. In order to operate, WFP is entirely reliant on voluntary donations from governments, individuals, corporations and foundations. As all these sectors have been hard-hit by the global economic crisis, WFP has also been affected. For 2009, WFP budgeted $6.7 billion to reach 108 million people in 74 countries. Taking into account forecasts and money already received, WFP expects to receive contributions totaling only $3.7 billion. This leaves a $3 billion budget shortfall.
In a time when the number of people experiencing hunger rises every day, it is difficult for WFP to make decisions about ration sizes or program cuts. By the end of 2009, the number of hungry people worldwide will exceed 1 billion – an unprecedented, record-breaking development. That means nearly one in every six people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life. Hunger and undernutrition are the No. 1 risk to health worldwide – greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
A chart released this week by WFP shows how many people are hungry, how much money has been given for food assistance through the years and how many people WFP is able to feed as result of these contributions. The visual is clear: at current funding levels, WFP will not be able to provide the full assistance needed globally.
Just this week, Sheeran appeared on CNN, asking the international community to remember that the financial crisis is affecting the poorest around the world, many of whom live on less than $1 per day.
“The financial crisis is hitting hard in the poorest places in the world and they are not seeing the green shoots of hope yet,” Sheeran said.
-Jessica Alatorre Outreach Associate Friends of WFP
This week, the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation announced that it will sponsor a nutrition mapping project in Bangladesh to be conducted by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). Their $350,000 grant will support the project in its first year as WFP creates a strategy to address nutritional deficiencies in Bangladesh in an effective, efficient manner.
The process of "nutrition mapping" determines which segments of a country's population suffers from undernutrition, and it identifies which nutrients are missing from their diets. This data, along with information about what kind of food is available in the area, will allow WFP to provide nutritional supplements to those who need them the most.
Nutrition mapping is crucial in a country like Bangladesh, where 16 percent of the population suffers from acute malnutrition. Children, pregnant and nursing women and HIV/AIDS patients are most at risk of undernutrition; nearly 50 percent of Bangladeshi children are moderately to severely underweight. High food prices have made it extremely difficult for poor Bangladeshis to put any food on the table, let alone nutrient-rich food.
Fortunately, the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation is ready to help make a change with its Heinz Micronutrient Campaign (HMC), which distributes micronutrient supplements to undernourished populations around the world. HMC's micronutrient packets contain a powder rich in vitamins and minerals like iron, vitamin A, folic acid and zinc that can be easily mixed into a daily meal. For just $1.50, a regimen of 60 packets administered over a two-month period can meet the nutritional needs of a child for an entire year.
- Alli Bailey Communications Assistant Friends of WFP
