Big problems are almost never impossible to solve; they just require deliberate, relentless work and courage to arrive at a resolution. Hunger in New York, for example, where at least 1 in 10 households experience food insecurity, could be eradicated—if the right people would do the right thing. The same is true when it comes to solving the problem of hunger globally, where 820 million people simply don’t have access to the food they need in order to live a healthy life.
Luckily, to solve this problem, the right people actually are doing the right thing—and the solution to the colossal problem of global hunger has, in part, been distilled to a simple call to action. How do you end global hunger? According to Rise Against Hunger, a nonprofit growing a global movement to end hunger by empowering communities, nourishing lives, and responding to emergencies: It starts with a meal.
Driven by the vision of a world without hunger, Rise Against Hunger has locations across the U.S. and five international offices, all working to eradicate hunger by providing immediate nourishment to those in need while also implementing sustainable solutions that will feed and support entire communities for years to come. In 2019 alone, Rise Against Hunger served 36 countries, packaged 77.4 million meals, and touched nearly 1.8 million lives through meals and other assistance.
But still, the road ahead remains long and, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, is actually growing longer each day. Fortunately, Rise Against Hunger is rising to meet it. Their latest initiative, It Starts With a Meal, invites individuals and corporations all across the globe to ‘take action today to end hunger tomorrow.’ This call to action seeks to raise awareness to the punishing reality of global hunger—that ours is a world in which 1 in 9 people go to bed hungry each night—and the hopeful reality that, together, we can actually work to change that.
To bring attention to the cause, the ‘It Starts With a Meal’ initiative is working closely with readers, corporations, and influencers alike to band together to create and share international recipes, or meals, that inspire them. We invite Edible readers to participate by checking out #itstartswithameal on Instagram and, if you’re so inspired, by sharing one of your own favorite international recipes or a photo of your favorite meal to the mix (just be sure to tag @riseagainsthunger when you do, so they can share your post!). All recipes are supported by a donation from Red Star Yeast, a corporate sponsor of Rise Against Hunger and It Starts With a Meal.
Edible readers are also encouraged to join the movement to end world hunger by signing up for Rise Against Hunger’s monthly newsletter here, or by donating to the organization here.
Because the reality is that, yes, the solution to the boundless, borderless problem of global hunger ‘starts with a meal’—but it doesn’t end there. As Rise Against Hunger knows, just feeding people is never enough. The real work of ending global hunger is finding ways to educate, empower, and promote self-sufficiency; making it possible for people, as the old adage goes, not just to eat for a day, but to eat for the rest of their lives.
But how do we get from here to there? It really does start with a meal. Join the movement today.
