The most helpless feeling in the world, for a parent, is being unable to relieve the suffering of a child. Fortunately, America is a country of vast resources. True, even in our privileged society children go hungry and fall prey to terrible illnesses. But these tragedies are magnified tenfold in countries that are overrun with poverty.
Not long ago stories and images flooded the news channels about parents in the Horn of Africa having to leave behind children who were too weak to walk as they made long voyages seeking food and aid after a famine. I can't begin to fathom how difficult that decision must have been. I'd like to think that this was an isolated incident due to unpredictable circumstances. Unfortunately, that isn't the case.
According to
Thinkquest*, 15 million children die each year from hunger.
Bread.org estimates that 925 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition worldwide.
The
World Food Project claims that hunger kills more people each year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined!
And the most tragic of all - Thinkquest claims that most of the world's hunger and sanitation problems could be solved for the cost of what people in developed countries spend on perfume in just one year.
But it isn't enough to think "oh, sure, I could give up this perfume bottle to feed a kid." Someone has to match the willing donors to the need. Someone has to inform people that there
is a need in the first place. I'm sure we're all
aware of hunger. But in a society where many of us are relatively well fed, it's hard to really comprehend the level of starvation occurring in the world.
I have a "Cause" section in my menu that highlights many great causes that are worth fighting for. I've been posting lately that I don't have the time or resources to take on every cause as my own, so I share them with you there. But this one - hunger, starvation, malnourished children -
this is
MY cause.
And I want to invite you to join me in the fight to bring food to children in need. If we can ease the suffering of even a few children - if we can abate the heartache of a few parents - that is my goal. So, I am officially issuing the
Operation Feed The Lambs 6 Week Challenge
How much money can we in the bloggerverse raise in 6 weeks to help end child starvation? Will you join me in raising some funds? Here are the details
1)
Plan out a fundraiser. It can be as simple as hitting up your friends for spare change, or as complicated as organizing a
5K. Whatever you're good at, start there.
2) Start a Hunger Line. Are you an etsy shop owner? Consider starting a Hunger Line. Choose one item (or type of item) and donate 100% of profits from that one item to fighting hunger. Be sure to tag your item with Hunger Line - lets see if we can start an etsy trend!
3) Be a media maven! Tweet about the OFL challenge, post on your facebook page, write up a blog post or grab this button for your side bar
<div align="center"><a href="http://babystuffilove.blogspot.com/search/label/Operation%20Feed%20The%20Lambs" title="Operation Feed The Lambs"><img src="http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee435/mrscat206/EndHungerbutton-1.jpg" alt="Operation Feed The Lambs" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
4)
Link up. In 6 weeks we'll be having a linky-party. Write up a little post about your fundraiser. Share pictures, tell amazing stories about the people you met or the roadblocks you overcame. Tell us a little about where you held your event and what you did. Even if you just picked up spare change off the street, tell us about your project. Or, show off some of the products from your new Hunger Line. You don't have to share your total, but if you want to, I'll be keeping a tally to post a "grand total" at the end so we can see what kind of impact our bloggy community had. Link up your post so we can all cheer each other on.
5)
Donate. Then take those dollars you've raised and donate them. Any charity that turns that money into food will do. Already have a favorite organization? Great! If not, you might want to consider some of these:
Feed The Children
Children's Hunger Relief Fund
Children's Hunger Fund
Heifer International
World Food Programme
World Vision
Do a little research, pick the one that's right for you, and help feed those babies!
Are you in? Do you have any questions? Have a project idea, charity, or story you really want to share? Feel free to comment below, or email me at stuffilove.and.mimibaby@gmail.com!
*Facts as of 1997
