Today Is World Food Day: What Can You Do To Help?
On the 33rd annual World Food Day, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations is calling for zero hunger. It may seem like a stretch when more than 805 million people worldwide go to bed hungry each night, but the reality is that in the past few decades the hunger pangs felt around the globe have actually decreased. This year's World Food Day theme is "Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth," and puts the spotlight on small farmers, who play a major role in eradicating poverty and hunger, as well as protecting the environment and perpetuating sustainable food growth.
So what can you do to help raise awareness? You can start conversations with your friends and family about food sustainability and learn where food comes from, how it's grown, and what might be the reasons for one in eight Americans going hungry every day. You can also support your local farmers with recipes that use locally grown produce and whole grains. Get to a farmers market and make this sweet pear and apple salad.
There are also more action-oriented decisions you can make today like donating to the Food and Agricultural Organization, hosting an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet (where 20 percent of your guests are served a luxurious meal, 30 percent of guests get a simple one, and half can only dine on a small portion of rice and water). You can host a FEED fundraising supper, where guests can donate money to help feed the hungry worldwide on your own personal fundraising page. You can also play FreeRice, a game sponsored by the World Food Programme, which donates rice for every correctly answered trivia question.
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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi