Imagine There’s No Hunger
By Chelsea Encababian

It is hard to believe that in a world food system that can support and nourish the entire population, hunger is still a problem faced by many people. 805 million people - or one in nine worldwide - struggle to put food on their table. However, the problem is not that we do not have the global food resources; the problem is that because of poverty and inequality, people are not able to access nutritious food. WhyHunger, along with Hard Rock International, Yoko Ono Lennon and thousands of supporters have come together to fight against global hunger and poverty by investing in local, community-led sustainable solutions.

In its seventh year, IMAGINE is a global campaign that fights childhood hunger and poverty through the support of agroecological and nutritional feeding programs in 22 countries. An agroecological approach requires looking within the community for traditional growing techniques and expertise to produce food in a way that is socially just and good for the environment. As of 2008, WhyHunger has helped communities grow enough food to provide an estimated 9.7 million meals to families and their communities.

The IMAGINE campaign challenges the traditional charitable approach to ending hunger by focusing on sustainable impact, with the proceeds going towards resourcing already established, locally run grassroots organizations. By investing in established sustainable solutions with the purpose of self-reliance and community empowerment, IMAGINE helps support communities that are working towards a dignified and long lasting means to food.

“Our partnership with Hard Rock International, Yoko Ono Lennon and thousands of supporters has helped us invest in some of the most innovative community-based organizations around the globe to ensure that more families have access to nutritious meals and learn to grow their own food sustainably,” said Bill Ayres, WhyHunger cofounder. The IMAGINE campaign has reached out to community partners all over the globe, working to end hunger in the Americas, across Africa and around Asia. “By partnering with these locally run and highly effective organizations, the impact of IMAGINE is multiplied across generations and throughout communities, helping to fuel the growing movement to end hunger and poverty” said Bill Ayres.

Through the work of our community partners, IMAGINE has made significant impacts (Check out more at:) on the lives of children and their families. In the United States, one of the partners is Delta Fresh Food Initiative in Mississippi. Delta Fresh Food Initiatives supports farm to school programs that provide over 1,000 students with healthy meals a year. Across the globe, in Negombo, Sri Lanka, the National Fisheries Solidarity Organization (NAFSO) works to help displaced families of civil war and families of fisherman lost at sea access the food they need. Another innovative community partner, Mouvman Peyizan Papay (MPP), is an organization that has been working with peasant farmers for 40 years to reshape the food system in Haiti, especially after the devastating earthquake. MPP also has established a farm in school program to teach students about social justice and agreocological farming techniques. Check out more:

As WhyHunger works to make a global difference, there are many ways to make a difference in your own community: volunteer in your community; learn more about social issues occurring, or donate what you can. This year, WhyHunger and Hard Rock are hosting a contest where you can win a trip to visit one of our partners on the ground! Submit a photo and caption that best represents your charitable giving for a chance to join us and IMAGINE a world without hunger. Enter here:

Chelsea Encababian is Hobart and William Smith College 2014 graduate with a double major in Environmental Studies and Asian Studies and is currently working at WhyHunger as the Communications Intern. She is passionate about environmental and social justice issues, learning about different cultures, and hopes to continue working in the non-profit section and live as a global citizen by traveling the world. In 2015, she will be spending 5 months working with an environmental NGO in Ecuador.