The "Hungry in America Project".
Monday, February 22, 2010 at 10:56AM | The Tuscan Gun Our Fund Raiser for Haiti has ended,
Debi and I would like to thank anyone of you who placed a bid on our Gourmet Tuscan Baskets, and congratulate with the winners!
A special mention goes to Susan from Saint Louis: not only she placed the highest bid, winning the Artusi cookbook and a set of our Olive Oil Cosmetic Products, but she also won the second prize.... as she wanted to share some of our Tuscan goods with her daughter: Thank You Susan!!!
Debi and I are very pleased with the outcome of our charity auction, it is wonderful to experience the support of our fans in matters that are so important to us; it is a great feeling to know that our followers share our sensibility and will to help others and do better in the everyday life.
Today though, we would like to bring the discussion "Home", so to speak: What About America?
It is "easy" to direct our attention to a geographic area devastated by an earthquake of historical magnitude, it comes natural to feel the pain in the eyes of kids that are pulled out of the rubble with almost nothing left to loose, it creates an opportunity for our own personal redemption (I speak for myself too)... it gives us a chance to reflect about our life and act accordingly.
A fund raiser almost feels like an act of confession: helping kids very far away from our home grants individual satisfaction and a sense of involvement that we almost are thankful for... "There has been an earthquake, here is my chance to do some good, at least for this year!".
But every day, in our own country, a serious struggle takes place, as the number of people in need of food is growing more and more every year:
"One in eight Americans — 37 million — received emergency food help last year, up 46% from 2005, the nation's largest hunger-relief group reports today.
Children are hit particularly hard, according to the report by Feeding America, a network of 203 food banks nationwide. One in five children, 14 million, received food from soup kitchens, food pantries and other agencies, up from 9 million in 2005, the year of the group's last major survey."
We do not hear about these issues on a daily basis, probably because they are too close to home... it makes us uncomfortable, thinking of what can be done, very often just around the corner of the city block we live in. Who wants to feel the pressure (or the guilt) of knowing that while we feed our kids with the best food we can provide them, we still live in a Country that is seriously struggling to feed its children.
The FEED Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds to ensure nutritious school meals for all children as a first step to improving the global food system. They need our help.
Please join Debi and I as we show our support for the "Hungry in America Project"!
This coming Sunday, February 28th 2010 at Craft Los Angeles, our friend Tom Colicchio will host a fund raiser in partnership with Vanity Fair and The Feed Foundation and co-hosted by Bryan Lourd of CAA; proceeds from the evening will be used to complete financing for Hungry in America, a feature-length documentary he's executive producing, directed by Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson, that shines a light on the history and causes of this country's epic hunger crisis. The film asks why a nation that could provide access to inexpensive and healthful food for all has failed to do so.
