Friday, May 4, 2007

Operation Feed

This month, my bank and I are heading this fundraiser for Operation Feed. It's to help donate food to those less fortunate of the basic needs to survive. So far we have raised of $2000, and we're still going. I think it is a wonderful opportunity for people to help and chip in and donate some food. Each bag only requires two items. Not a whole lot to give, but it's enough to help.

I recently went to the Salvation Army to see what all it was about. I've heard about it, even talked about it a couple of times, but have never been there. I hoped to gain a great, positive experience, but I don't know how you do just that when people are starving and have no where to go. Although it was a sad thing to see, it did help me realize that once I do start giving my time and effort for this operation feed, I will be helping as much as I possibly can. I hope that some day, world hunger will end everywhere, but people have to donate and help to make that happen.

Now I know American Idol is off the topic, but their past two shows have been titled "Idol Gives Back" and they have traveled all over the world to help hungry kids in Africa, who are dying from being HIV positive, and then to Kentucky to help those people in poverty, as well as those victims still not getting enough assistance from Katrina's disaster. But Idol set up a line for viewers to call where they could donate and got 70 million votes. After the first 50 million, a multi-billion dollar company donated 10 cents for every vote up to that amount, resulting in 5 million dollars. Now that may seem like alot, but it's just a start. There is poverty EVERYWHER and if we as a great nation don't start to realize that we have this problem right here in the United States, then we might not find an end to world hunger.

Just a thought for those of you who have never volunteered:
"It's not about wasting your time to do a task, it's about spending the quality time to get to know someone, and help them along the way, to make it easier upon them!"

3 comments:

srah said...

One of the most heartbreaking stories I remember from that episode of Idol was the little boy in Africa (about 10 years old) whose parents had died and who was raising his sister on his own, going to school, making sure that she went to school, etc. All I could think was, "I can donate funds to support him through school, but no matter how much money I give, I can't bring his parents back and he's going to have to grow up so fast." It's sad to think that even though there's a lot we can do to ease people's suffering, there are some things we just can't fix.

Cap'n Fatback said...

Jessica--

Very strong post. Srah's comment about the boy from Africa reminds me of the book--that I have yet to read--that recently came out detailing a twelve-year-old boy's immersion as a soldier in Sierra Leone's civil war. Just hearing the author describe the book, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, on The Daily Show caused me to think about how there exists pressures on other countries’ poor that I cannot truly fathom.

(You're missing the final "e" in "EVERYWHERE", by the way.)

5/5

Nadine said...

I think that the money that was earned for idol gives back was a great way to help many people. It's always easier to help raise money or do somthing to help someone else if it is intresting and that many people will want to be involved in. American idol is a show that is watched by many. I'm glad shows are willing to think about others. As for taking about the salvation army. I have never been myself but im sure it was a good learning experience for you.