Feeding the World

I was recently introduced to a website that I would like to share with everyone, a website that not only encourages humanitarian efforts but also challenges that 'ol brain of yours using something dear to my heart.....VOCABULARY!!

The website I am urging you to visit is www.freerice.com

"Over two-and-a-half billion grains of rice have been donated to WFP thanks to online campaign FreeRice -- enough to feed more than 125,000 people. Web surfers have the chance to boost their word power and donate food to the hungry thanks to the internet quiz which is the brainchild of John Breen."

Free Rice is a division of the World Food Programme, one of the frontline UN programs to combat world hunger. Created in 1962, the WFP works with Governemnts, NGO's, Corporate Partners, and Individuals to enable the distribution, and purchasing, of food supplies.

The WFP primarily provides aid to:
1. Victims of natural disasters
2. Displaced persons
3. Hungry poor

In 2006 the WFP fed 87.8 million people from 78 different countries. I spent some time browsing the website before I decided to promote what they are working for. Feeding people and nurturing others is something that I feel is very important in my life, and I found the website brimming with information and incredibly educational. For instance, did you know that there IS enough food in the world to feed everyone, the problem lies in a distribution imbalance?

Do you know the difference between malnourishment and under-nourishment?
Do you know how many people go hungry every night?
Do you know how many people die from starvation every day?

Something I feel compelled to point out is that this is not a distant problem, a problem of developing countries. Hunger is everywhere--and not just hunger. Malnourshment and under-nourishment are common afflictions even in the United States. The difference in nourishment between countries like the United States and those like Zimbabwe, are that under-nourishment in the US is, in my view, often caused through the choices made in the grocery store.

I urge you to visit this site, see how many bowls of rice you can donate, FOR FREE, and add some sunshine to someone else's day!
www.freerice.com

Comforting Words

A favorite poem of mine:

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Mary Oliver

It seems this time of every year I begin to turn to the words of favorite authors and poets to aid me in the transition from fall to winter. Mary Oliver has long been a cherished poet of mine, putting words to feelings about the natural world that I share but haven't the words to express (or if I do, they are not near as poetic and beautiful!) Hoping this poem inspires thought, introspection, and acceptance--and would love to hear your thoughts on her words or your experiences as well!