On Food: Hunger Steals The Memory…
“Hunger also changes the world – when eating can’t be a habit, than neither can seeing.” Maxine Hong Kingston
On Food: Hunger Steals The Memory… 2nd place Winner World Food Day Poster by M. Benol – Central African Republic (Age group 13 to 17)
HUNGER: what you need to know.
ACT
Volunteer your time
Reach out at your local farmer’s market
Raise money
Organize a food packaging event
When a poor family has no food to eat, every bit of energy is spent on finding ways to stave off hunger. Hunger steals everything; our health, our memory, even our dignity. World Food Day, celebrated on October 16th, is a reminder that the global battle for equitable food distribution continues. Each year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) picks a theme as its focus for World Food Day. The theme for this year is Agricultural Cooperatives, and according to UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, “Co-operatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue economic sustainability and social responsibility.” With 870 Million people still going hungry worldwide (130 less now than 20 years ago), and an FAO goal to half that number by 2015, the road to ending hunger is a long one. More below.
“Hunger steals the memory.” Louise Erdrich
On Food: Hunger Steals The Memory… 1st place Winner World Food Day Poster by A. Kawatkar – India (Age group 5 to 8)
Hungry Planet Episode 20 – Special Report
ACT
Activate your campus
Walk to end hunger
Engage your local schools
Arrange a Food and Fund Drive
Since that fateful day in November 1979 when FAO Member Countries chose October 16th, the anniversary of FAO’s founding in 1945, as World Food Day, FAO has battled global hunger issues. Its Millennium Development Goal targets hunger and is determined to half the proportion of hungry people in developing countries by 2015. So far, FAO data shows that while Asia and Latin America have reduced their numbers of hungry people, the numbers in sub-Saharan Africa are on the rise. Since 1990, data on the percentage of undernourished persons has been slowly shifting:
2010-2012 868 million (12%)
2007-2009 867 million (13%)
2004-2006 898 million (14%)
1991-2001 919 million (15%)
1990-1992 1000 million (19%)
More data below!
“A hungry man is not a free man.” Adlai E. Stevenson
On Food: Hunger Steals The Memory… 1st place Winner World Food Day Poster by C. Leo – Italy (Age group 9 to 12)
ACT
Inspire your local house of worship to action
Grow a garden
Urge leaders to make it a priority
Join your local hunger coalition
Feeding The World: Some of the data available shows that about 870 Million people still go hungry worldwide even though it is 130 million folk less now than 20 years ago. 1 in 8 people go to sleep hungry every day, and the percentage of undernourished persons for fiscal year 2010-2012 is now (12%) 868 million. FAO continues to sponsor Save Food: a global initiative on reducing the 1.3bn tonnes of food lost or wasted each year. We can do more. To learn more, you may visit the following sites/links: FAO.org, WorldFoodDayUSA.org, FeedingMinds.org
What are your thoughts? Have you participated in a Food/end hunger drive? What methods do you use to manage food waste in your household? Do share! Thank you. 
*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience! 
Positive Motivation Tip: Make a difference, help end hunger by ending household food wastage, donating to your local food bank or learning more ways to ACT on hunger.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All photos Children’s Posters via FAO.org, from my personal collection or via Wikipedia
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Related articles
- World Food Day Celebration Focus on Agri Coops (isaaa.org)
- World Food Day (eatocracy.cnn.com)
- World Food Day, 16 October 2012 (datadiary2012.wordpress.com)
- Pierre Ferrari: World Food Day 2012: Heifer International’s Cooperatives Will Help Feed the World (huffingtonpost.com)
- Can The Modern World End Hunger Deaths? (socyberty.com)
- World Food Day, 16 October 2012 (cseindiaportal.wordpress.com)
- FAO pays tribute to agriculture cooperatives for fighting hunger (ghanabusinessnews.com)
- Celebrate World Food Day! (enlightenedlotuswellness.com)
- AfDB Joins Development Partners in Support of Agricultural Cooperatives on World Food Day 2012 (appablog.wordpress.com)
Beautiful Elizabeth! I am going to tweet this out. You have been writing a lot about some of the same topics as we have of the Global Team of 200. Maybe you should write with us too? If interested let me know and I can forward your information to Jennifer. She is amazing and inspiring head if Mom Bloggera for Social Good.
Hi Dear one,
I’m sorry for the delayed reply…. I have been offline with a back issue. Sure pass it on and when you have a moment let me know what it entails. Thanks for thinking of me! 🙂
Will catch up again with everyone; my apologies!
Seeing people experiencing hunger is heart-wrenching, Elizabeth. Some of them would even sniff rugby to numb the feeling of hunger. I see a lot of them here in the Philippines being a third world country. To prevent wasting food, we only cook what we will be able to consume for the day. I would eat left-over food for breakfast.
Thank you for sharing, Elizabeth. God bless ❤ 🙂
http://softvoiceofafreespirit.blogspot.com/
TY Irene… we eat our leftovers too. I grew up in the days when Mothers used to day “Eat your food. Remember the hungry Biafran children…” I was one of those Biafran children; spared from malnutrition but scared by the vestiges of war. .
The quote by Louise Erdrich is amazing. I shared it and will tweet this too. I had forgotten this is such an important day… Thanks.
TY Petchary… Must stop by to see what wisdom you are dispensing on your blog since your return from the Motherland. 😉
Yes, please do! (But I am not sure that I am very wise…) Yesterday was Blog Action Day (“The Power of We”) so I wrote on that, and I also plan to write about heroes, since this week is National Heroes Week in Jamaica. It’s actually rather a controversial topic, that! All the best…
Excellent… will be by shortly. Huffing and puffing as I visit blogs to catch up…. endless! 🙂
This is such a heart felt topic and it can easily happen to anyone, i.e. via a sudden loss of job, or a cut in SSI to an elderly. Absolutely overwhelming.
Yes, it can Deborah and it is happening to many around the world… Helping others is so important now. TY! 🙂
You are so wise. I don’t know how you keep up with the information that you post here. I had no idea of the statistics or that there was a World Food Day. Thank you for making me better informed.
TY Karen… I’m a tad behind on this one, but I get updates from some of the charities and NGOs. Blessings! 🙂
Global food issues, hunger and starvation concern me, especially because of degrading environmental conditions and climate change. I have been following the work of Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute and he has a new book out http://www.earthpolicy.org/books/fpep, tt’s called Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity. There are some even tougher times ahead if governments and citizens around the globe don’t get involved on this issue.
I grow my own garden and donate to charities which are my little ways of trying to be part of the solution, but there’s a lot of work to do on this issue. Thank you for your thoughtful post on this subject.
TY for your feedback and for sharing Lester’s book, there is so much information that needs to reach us all. We need to reminded of the tough times ahead… It affects us all even in these Unites States…
I don’t have to look very far to find people who are hungry. I know people who struggle just to get by, and it’s “tricky” with friendships when you want to help and they are uncomfortable and don’t want others to know. That’s a whole other story, but your post is so beautifully representative of just what a struggle hunger is in our country and starvation in other parts of the world. I don’t think we can ever talk about it too much. There are so many wonderful ways, easy really, to at least contribute to organizations doing fine work to feed others. Very important post, Elizabeth.
TY Debra and it pains me to read about friends who would rather suffer than admit they need help… Hopefully, more will drop the shame as we are all affected by it to some degree… 🙁
Very thoughtful post. I love the artwork you included too.
TY Miriam! The artwork came from kids who entered an FAO Hunger poster competition and won… I love their drawings. 🙂
I saw a man take mouldy stew from my bin and eat it. That changed my perspective forever.
WoW! I can imagine… sad. 🙁
We don’t see a lot of poverty here but I think it is because we are blind to it. This post really got me thinking – thank you.
TY Julie.. It could also be that they are being provided for so no need to walk the streets…
Hi Eliz,
Glad to see you’re making a difference. The artwork, or I should say, Mindful Masterpieces are awesome. Such talent!
I was impressed by the collections too and I think I added a link above to the winners page… Impressive work by kids. TY! 😉
My sister and I were talking about eating at “buffets” …ALL of those choices of food…when we can only eat so much…seems like such a waste…We both said…if something looks too big…that we would not eat all of it…we just pass it by…We wondered why?…I think it’s how we were taught by our parents…No wasting …especially food…Whatever was prepared…was eaten until there was no more…or a pet consumed it…I still prepare meals in my home according to how many are eating…just so many servings…where there will be no waste…Maybe it’s my small way of contributing…
It is a great way to stay mindful about food… I’m in favor of not wasting food too. TY! 🙂
Thank you for this post–I always despair at how much food is wasted in this country (the U.S.) and how terribly we treat our soil and (even worse) our animals. How can we be so selfish? I do feel that the U.S. never sees its place as part of the world, just as the most important. Which makes me sad. Thank you for another thought-provoking post!
TY for you comment. I observe it too and it breaks my heart… when we will learn to cherish all lifeforms? 🙁
It is amazing that still, in this day with all the advanced technology and wisdom we have gained over time that hunger for so many exists. In our small community local churches contribute to a food bank and every Saturday folks who need food can participate.
Thanks again for the food for thought…
It is amazing to me too… especially after reading about food hoarded and stored in warehouses to control market pricing… Food for thought alright! 🙁
Australia has a population of just under 21 million, the state of NSW around 7.3 million of that – in the last year, NSW has thrown out more than $2.5 billion of edible food!! Insanity. I know people who “would never eat leftovers”. Travelling to countries where hunger is a daily reality should be part of the school curriculum for our bloated western societies.
Awful… how wasteful! And the curriculum should also address how we contribute to the hunger.. TY! 🙁
Thanks Elizabeth, it’s helpful to be reminded of these statistics.
TY Gilly for your comment! And I’m glad you checked this out…
Seems insurmountable sometimes doesn’t it? Watching so many people struggling with food inflation around us is heartbreaking. Even in India i think the problem is not the quantity of food production, but the distribution network and waste. Wonderful post as always.
The distribution is key and they can with-hold or share any way they wish.. creating excess and shortage at will. We see some of the same tactics with the gas shortages now too. TY! 🙁
Thoughtful and brilliant post.