United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization

World Food Day

Buddhist Global Relief is pleased to join the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, Oxfam America and other organizations around the world in celebrating World Food Day on October 16, a global event designed to increase awareness, understanding and informed, year-round action to alleviate hunger.

World Food Day is observed each October 16th in recognition of the founding of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945. Since its founding, the U.N.’s FAO has led international efforts to defeat hunger, working throughout the world wherever its skills have been needed. Since the first World Food Day in 1981, the citizens of the world have joined forces with FAO on October 16th to make their own impact on world hunger in a myriad of creative ways.

In the United States, World Food Day is sponsored by 450 national, private voluntary organizations. World Food Day events are designed to:

• Increase Awareness
• Increase Understanding
• Increase Support
• Increase Advocacy
• Increase Networking
• Increase Year-Around Action

This year, Buddhist Global Relief has organized Walk to Feed the Hungry events in ten cities in the United States between October 6 and October 20, with five walks scheduled for October 13. International walks are taking place in the United Kingdom (September 29), India (September 16), and Cambodia (October 4). All of these Walks to Feed the Hungry are designed to increase awareness of the suffering of hunger and ways to end hunger and to raise funds for hunger relief for the poor.

The theme for World Food Day 2012 is “Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world.” This theme has been chosen to highlight the role of cooperatives in improving food security and contributing to the eradication of hunger.

What is a cooperative?

As the FAO says, “It starts when a group of people believe in themselves and get organized. From that spark a fire starts. Even poor communities can make progress when people band together. On World Food Day 2012, let us resolve to give cooperatives a helping hand, enabling them to overcome constraints and play their full role in the drive to end hunger and poverty.”

How can I help?

You can donate, walk, raise money, hold a satellite event in your own community, or spread the word about BGR and its Walk to Feed the Hungry events.

You can share a meal during the World Food Day week of action in commemoration of World Food Day, discuss the problem of world hunger and commit to taking action. What is your experience of producing food or consuming food? Where around you do you see people unable to access or afford enough healthy food? Make plans to help them.

Write to, call or visit your local, state or national political representatives and ask what concrete actions they are taking to address the problems of food injustice and to build sustainable models of food production and consumption.

Spread the word. Organize. Get involved. End hunger in our lifetimes.