The revolutionary idea that became The Hunger Project began at a meeting of like-minded individuals in California on February 14, 1977. In honor of our 40th year, we invite you to explore some of the principles and values that are deeply rooted in our shared mission to end hunger and poverty: Family, Love, Interconnectedness, Leadership and Empowerment.
Share, too, in the experiences of some of our investors with quotes about what The Hunger Project has meant to their lives in the last 40 years.
FAMILY
When women and men in village communities are elected as leaders, they take on responsibility for everyone – every child becomes a part of their family. As you look around you, experience your own family, your neighborhood and your community and consider making a life-changing investment in your Hunger Project family. Your gift will demonstrate confidence in the abilities and potential of our partners–your family–in the shared work to end hunger and poverty.
“I donate to The Hunger Project because I know that I am leveraging my money, investing, really, in what is most important to me, leaving my nieces, nephews, and their children not my money, but a world free from hunger.” – Julia Dederer
LOVE
Love means different things to different people. It can mean dignity, hope, and possibility. But a universally accepted expression of love is the prioritization of another’s needs as if they were your own. To love another is to see their value, creativity and potential, and to face the world together, empowered by one another.
The love and solidarity between Hunger Project investors and community partners is at the heart of the success of our programs. Empowering each other to realize our own value and leadership is key to ending hunger and poverty.
“When someone in my family is struggling, I do what I can to offer support to empower them. Because I am human, their strife is felt within me. By taking time and having awareness and responding in whatever small way I can with The Hunger Project, it grows me in my capacity to become more human.” – Kima Kraimer
INTERCONNECTEDNESS
Take a moment to observe the world around you. Our daily actions are shaped by, and affect, all other people and our natural environment. This is interconnectedness in action.
The positive impact we have on the world is invaluable in the fight against the large-scale issues ofhunger and poverty. They are not problems of one country or another but are global issues interconnecting with each of us in deeply personal ways. We can’t solve them as “donors and recipients,” but only as global citizens, working as equal partners in a unified vision.
“Not only does The Hunger Project help impoverished populations meet their basic needs, it also restores a sense of dignity to people who have lost hope. Participating in The Hunger Project’s work means radically altering the lives and framework of people all around the world to build a future in which everyone has the tools and self-confidence to provide for themselves and their communities.” – Sasha Stomberg
LEADERSHIP
Ending hunger requires a new kind of leadership: not top-down or authority-based leadership, but one that awakens people to their own power — leadership “with” people rather than leadership “over” people.
“I have been a member of the Hunger Project since 1978! I stood on street corners, enrolling people in ‘the end of hunger by the end of the century.’ Today, everyone talks of empowerment and transformation. But The Hunger Project was way ahead of its time, really standing for people ending their own hunger long before it was popular! I am proud to financially support The Hunger Project.” – Avi Edwards
EMPOWERMENT
Empowering people to be the authors of their own development is the cornerstone of The Hunger Project’s work to end of hunger. Empowerment unveils the inherent potential and ability of an individual to make a dramatic impact on her or his life and in the world.
Through focused and sustained action, The Hunger Project empowers people in 20,000 communities around the world to awaken to the possibility of ending hunger. Share your proud support of programs based on a methodology of empowerment that builds confidence,
“The Hunger Project is an organization that allows me to contribute money in a very meaningful way. It not only enhances (empowers) my life but it also empowers the lives of many others. I am moved by my participation in The Hunger Project — I get way more out of it than I invest. As a human being my life has been transformed.” – Al Berkowitz