The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is food and nutrition.
“We have a hunger crisis in America,” chef José Andrés proclaimed in January, calling for “longer tables, not higher walls.”
Andrés, the founder of the food relief nonprofit World Central Kitchen, said the coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated the problem.
The statistics bear him out. According to Feeding America, the ranks of the food insecure grew from 35 million in 2019 to 42 million last year due to the effects of the pandemic.
Sadly, it’s the most vulnerable among us — children — who are hardest hit.
Worldwide, the situation is dire. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that as many as 811 million people experienced hunger in 2020.
Complicating matters is the rise in global food prices, which rose 31 percent in 2020, according to the U.N. agency.
A donation to food and nutrition causes is money well spent, as food touches just about every aspect of life.
If you are unsure of where to focus your giving in this category, the website for the campaign, also known as the CFC, makes it easy:
Under “Donors” on the home page, choose “Online Charity Search” from the drop-down menu.
The second field is “Select a Specific Category.” From there, choose “Food, Agriculture and Nutrition.” Twenty-six pages of sector-supporting charities pop up.
The Combined Federal Campaign is the federal government’s workplace charity drive. The latest campaign began Sept. 1 and runs through Jan. 15.
Participation in the CFC is voluntary.
The GiveCFC.org website has more information.
This is the 10th in a series of articles spotlighting the Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week. Next week: global health.
