Monday, April 15, 2013
College of Mount St. Joseph students are using a two-pronged approach to fight world hunger: FreeRice and Charity Miles.
FreeRice is an online game where every correct answer you get means a donation of 10 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program (WFP). The rice is paid for by advertisers. At least 77,650 grains of rice have been raised so far through the school's Leadership Pathways program and the Cincinnati Authors class, taught by RED! Magazine editor Jeff Hillard.
The rice donations will go to the school feeding program in Niger, a country that was devastated by drought and food shortages in 2012. WFP, the largest food aid organization, is distributing the meals in Niger.
School meals provide a valuable safety net in developing countries and boost the nutrition level of children. By providing the food at school it encourages class attendance and improves learning skills. Many children in developing countries struggle to get one meal a day. School meals are vital to overcoming hunger and poverty.
MSJ students are also using exercise to feed the hungry. Using the free smartphone app Charity Miles, runners, walkers and bikers can raise funds for Feeding America and the World Food Program. You also have the choice of raising funds for a number of other charities as well.
Even without a smartphone, MSJ student Elizabeth Paff raised donations of over 800 meals of the life-saving food Plumpy'Nut using her own variation of Charity Miles.
Paff, a Delhi resident who has led hunger fighting initiatives on campus, says, "It’s a rewarding experience to know that I was part of the reason that someone finally got to enjoy a meal and to know that I could help put a smile on their face."
Recognizing the challenge of setting up hunger relief Paff notes, "the most important step is education. People need to know exactly what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how to do it. The biggest way to impact students is to lead by example. If you show them how to do something rather than just saying “hey you should do this” it has a lot more meaning."
Paff, who was interviewed by MSJ student Le’Erin Watts about Charity Miles, adds, "This is a program that I think is extremely easy to be part of especially if you already exercise. That’s why athletes and frequent exercisers are good people to target first because it is already part of their lifestyle so it would not be extra work for them to get involved. Hopefully from there it will spread to others near and far and soon enough we will have all types of people involved!"
MSJ students will continue to tally grains and miles as the initiatives spread campus wide.