The destiny of human rights is in the hands of all our citizens in all our communities.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
World Food Day, October 16th, is a worldwide event designed to increase awareness, understanding, and informed year-round action to alleviate hunger.
Get involved: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for a world without hunger.
Macy's has teamed up with Feeding America to Come Together with the goal of donating 10,000 meals across the nation. What we can do:
* HOST a dinner party where guest are urged to make a donation to Feeding America. An invitation creator and theme ideas are available on the Macy's website, Come Together.
* GIVE a dollar, provide seven meals for the needy. Donate online, directly at Macy's registers, or mail in checks to Feeding America.
* SHOP for a cause on October 17th at Macy's. Purchasing a $5 shopping pass provides donations to local food banks.
* SHARE your ideas, stories, and donations at the interactive site: Come Together national community map.
Here are some interesting facts compiled by Huffington Post (unable to locate link at time of post):
* 1: number of new kitchen gardens planted at the White House this year AP
* 1943: the last time food was grown at the White House White House
* 20 million: the number of new gardens planted in 1943 LA Times
* 40%: percentage of nation's produce coming from gardens in 1943 LA Times
* 7 million: estimated number of new food gardens planted in the US in 2009 NGA
* $2000: amount of savings possible per year from a 40' x 40' garden KGI
* 90%: percentage of fruit/vegetable varieties lost in the US the last 100 years CNN
* 3500: number of vegetable varieties owned by Monsanto Monsanto
* 18,467: number of new small farms counted in the last agricultural census USDA
* 4,685: number of farmers markets nationwide USDA
* 4,100: number of Wal-mart stores and clubs in the US Wal-mart
* 187,000 ft2 : average area of a Wal-mart superstore Wal-mart
* 60,112 ft2: average area of a farmers' market USDA
* 9.5 million: number of imported food shipments arriving in the US each year Huffington Post
* 226,377: number of establishments registered to export food to the US Huffington Post
* 200: number of on-site inspections of these establishments conducted by the FDA last year Huffington Post
* 76 million: number of people who fall ill each year due to food poisoning CDC
* 50 gallons: volume of sugared beverages consumed per person in the US each year LA Times
* 22,727: number of Olympic-sized swimming pools those beverages would fill Answers.com
* $15 billion: annual estimated revenue of a penny-per-ounce tax on soda LA Times
* $20.5 billion: Coca-Cola's gross profit in 2008 Coca-Cola
* 72 million: number of American adults considered obese CDC
* 33%: percentage of US children likely to develop obesity or Type 2 diabetes CDC
* 10-15 years: average number of years their lives will be shortened as a result CDC
* 57 years: average age of the American farmer USDA
* 25 days: average shelf-life of a Twinkie Snopes
* 350 parts per million: sustainable level of CO2 in atmosphere 350.org
* 390 parts per million: current level of CO2 in the atmosphere NOAA
* 31%: percentage of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions attributable to food and agriculture IPCC
* 2020: year by which many geologists feel the world will have reached "peak oil" production UK Research Centre
* 10 calories: average amount of fossil fuel energy required to produce 1 calorie of food energy in industrialized food systems Cornell
* 29,100 calories: estimated fossil fuel calories required to produce one order of Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries Men's Health
* 1 billion: number of hungry people in the world in 2009 FAO
* 9.1 billion: projected world population in the year 2050 US Census
* 70%: percentage increase in global food production required to feed that projected population FAO
* 70%: percentage of world's fresh water used for agricultural purposes UNESCO
* 1.8 billion: number of people expected to experience "water scarcity" in the year 2025 UNEP
* 0: number of new, oil-rich, water-rich, fertile and inhabitable planets we are likely to discover in the next 40 years
* 1: number of people needed to make a positive difference in any of the above: you!
View last year's post on World Food Day here.
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