Thanksgiving is a time for sharing and an abundance of good food.
While many of us end up with a bloated fridge of leftovers to enjoy the day after Thanksgiving, millions go to bed hungry tonight and every night. According to Feeding America, this year as many as 50 million people in the US are struggling with hunger, up from 34 million before the pandemic started. Globally, there are an estimated 850 million people that are currently undernourished, equal to 12% of the world population. Even worse, more than 12 million people are estimated to die from hunger this year. The U.N. World Food Program issued a warning this week of potential famines in Yemen, South Sudan, Burkina Faso and Northeast Nigeria. In addition, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is on the brink of starvation. The head of the U.N. World for Food program David Beasley said that 270 million people are marching toward starvation, and that they need our help today more than ever.
With so much food in the world, much of this pain and suffering seems completely unnecessary to us. We therefore support and donate to the Action Against Hunger Charity. It is the number one rated charity against mal-nourishment, hunger and sanitation. The charity was founded in 1979 by a group of French doctors and scientists. Their first action was to assist the avalanche of starving Afghan refugees in Pakistan, famine-stricken Uganda and the Cambodian refugees. The Charity is now operating worldwide to address hunger and mal-nutrition. Over 90% of its donations go directly to the aid programs (rather than to administrative expenses). It has a four-star (highest) rating by Charity Navigator and no political motives. One of the things we love is that the Action Against Hunger not only tries to feed as many of those in need, but that it teaches local populations to farm, so they will become self-sustainable.
The struggle with hunger and malnourishment continues to be a matter of life or death for too many people each day. The COVID crisis has only exacerbated the problem. To exemplify the need for support, Michael Jordan this week announced he is donating $2 million to Feeding America from his ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance.” We try to do our part by donating 10% of our profits to Action Against Hunger. We hope you support our cause!