MELISSA M.
June 20th
Hi everyone!
On June 20th, I'll be turning 21. However, I'm reaching out to you a bit early in hopes that I will have reached my goal by my birthday.
As anyone who knows me will tell you, my dream is to work for a non-profit organization. After a visit to the UN over spring break, my memory of the UNICEF trick-or-treat program and its little orange boxes came flooding back. The World Food Programme's latest idea, The Red Cup Program, inspired me and I'm looking to get on my way to making a difference! I'm starting by "donating" my birthday.
Every 3.6 seconds, someone around the world starves to death. Even sadder, 3/4 of those individuals are children under the age of 5. On the other hand, it only costs about $1.05 to feed a child for an entire week. For less than the cost of a soda, you could save a life.
I ask those who are kind enough to want to buy me a gift or wish me well on my birthday this year to instead donate whatever you can spare. My goal is to raise $210 by June 20th. For those who can truly not afford to donate, please spend 21 minutes on freerice.com playing their food-granting trivia games. Every bit counts. Each of us can only do a little, but together we can do a lot.
Thanks so much!
Melissa
"Unless someone like you cares an awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
Charities Melissa is Supporting
"WFP is the food aid arm of the United Nations system. Food aid is one of the many instruments that can help to promote food security, which is defined as access of all people at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. ยน The policies governing the use of World Food Programme food aid must be oriented towards the objective of eradicating hunger and poverty. The ultimate objective of food aid should be the elimination of the need for food aid.
Targeted interventions are needed to help to improve the lives of the poorest people - people who, either permanently or during crisis periods, are unable to produce enough food or do not have the resources to otherwise obtain the food that they and their households require for active and healthy lives.
Consistent with its mandate, which also reflects the principle of universality, WFP will continue to:
* use food aid to support economic and social development;
* meet refugee and other emergency food needs, and the associated logistics support; and
* promote world food security in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations and FAO.
The core policies and strategies that govern WFP activities are to provide food aid:
* to save lives in refugee and other emergency situations;
* to improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people at critical times in their lives; and
* to help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities, particularly through labour-intensive works programmes."
Visit World Food Programme's Page >
I selected the WFP because it is a creative program that is providing food to needy children and the worst of environments. By filling a red cup with a nutrient rich grain and providing it to children in school, the are both feeding children and ensuring that they are continuing the education that will one day be capable of truly improving their lives.
