This October 16, World Food Day, Oxfam teamed up with other like-minded organizations to encourage people to think about food in a whole new way. Across the country and around the world, families and communities came together for conversations about where our food comes from, why fighting hunger is so important, and what we can do to create a fairer food system for everyone.
Oxfam America supporters like you played a major role in these efforts; in fact, your commitment and passion exceeded our expectations. As a way to say thank you for all that you did, here’s a quick look at what we accomplished together, by the numbers:
- Almost 9,000 – Number of World Food Day events in 47 states (including meals, potlucks, Oxfam America Hunger Banquets, and more) hosted by supporters of Oxfam America and our allies. Whether you brought hundreds of people together on your campus or at your place of worship, or hosted an informal gathering for family and friends, all of you shared concrete, practical ways that we can come together to fix our broken food system.
- 5 – Number of principles of Oxfam’s GROW Method, which suggests easy ways to fight world hunger starting at your kitchen table. From blogging about the GROW Method to posting recipes on Pinterest, everyone from celebrity chefs to the media helped spread the word about these simple ways for everyday people to make a difference.
- 2 – Number of women farmers from Africa invited by Oxfam to share their perspectives at this year’s World Food Day events. Susan Godwin, an award-winning entrepreneur from Nigeria, and Diénaba Diallo, a small business owner and leader from Burkina Faso, spoke at community events organized by Oxfam volunteers in Ohio, Washington, DC, South Carolina, and more. Both also attended the World Food Prize conference in Iowa, where Godwin joined international experts on a panel called “One billion people hungry: Can we feed the world sustainably?”
- 120 – Number of #WFD2012 photos shared on Instagram
- 15 – Number of acclaimed restaurants from New York to San Francisco that served a special GROW Method meal on October 16 in honor of Oxfam and World Food Day.
- 150 – Number of people attending a GROW Method lunch at the World Food Prize conference in Iowa, hosted by celebrity chef and Oxfam supporter José Andrés, Oxfam America President Ray Offenheiser, and Sisters on the Planet ambassador Ellen Gustafson.
- More than 40 – Number of countries where people participated in food-related events, contests, and actions to celebrate Oxfam’s global GROW Week 2012.
- 50 – Number of organizations, including Oxfam America, who successfully called on President Obama to issue a World Food Day proclamation this year; he was the first to do so since President Clinton.