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6 Ways to Give Back and Help End Hunger in 2020

on  November 25, 2020

We’ve almost reached the end of 2020, and this unprecedented year has been one of many changes and challenges for people across the globe, including those facing hunger. This holiday season, you can give back and help respond to those challenges and changes. As Rise Against Hunger works to meet the increased need during this crisis and support the 2 million people we serve, we’ve put together a list of ways you can help!Shop Hope with the Meet the Need Market.For the holidays, Rise Against Hunger has launched a virtual Meet the Need Market where you can shop to donate a gift that will have a lasting impact in the lives of people in countries across the globe. From meals to medicine, seeds to soap and more, the Market features 16 essential items that will empower at-risk families and communities worldwide. When you shop the Market, your gift could mean more to a family, or community, than any gift ever has before. You can also donate a gift in honor of someone special, and then sharing the donation with that person is a great, meaningful gift idea for the holiday season!Check out Amazon Smile.Planning to do more of your holiday shopping online this year? You’re not alone – and you can give back while doing so! When you shop directly through the Amazon Smile website, 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice. Go to www.smile.amazon.com and search for Rise Against Hunger to add us as your selected non-profit. Now you’re all set to make an impact while you shop!Take the Journey to Serve: Tanzania Virtual Impact Trip.Join us on a virtual impact trip with Journey to Serve: Tanzania! This immersive, interactive experience transports you virtually to Tanzania to learn about the country’s culture and hear how Rise Against Hunger and Global Volunteers are addressing food insecurity in communities there. Your Journey to Serve: Tanzania ticket purchase has a huge impact, providing meals to a student for an entire year! A ticket makes a fantastic, impactful gift for your friends and family, too.Host A Rise Against Hunger Experience.You can help support children and families who are counting on us now more than ever by hosting a Rise Against Hunger Experience meal packaging event! Our new modified meal packaging method closely follows CDC guidelines and local regulations. The safety of our volunteers, staff and people we serve is of utmost importance, and our adjusted setup enables volunteers to have a hands-on impact while also taking necessary safety precautions.Virtually Volunteer.If you’re unable to host an in-person Rise Against Hunger Experience, we also have a myriad of virtual engagement opportunities that enable you to get involved and have an impact from wherever you are! There are opportunities perfect for individuals and groups. Check them out to take the first step toward virtual volunteering.Donate.Donating is another great way to give back, have an impact and support Rise Against Hunger’s mission in 2020 and beyond. Your donation enables Rise Against Hunger to continue our commitment to the 2 million people we serve worldwide.This year has been challenging, and your support means so much to Rise Against Hunger and the people we serve. Thank you for being part of the movement to end global hunger!

About the Author

Strength, Stability And Hope

The gift that filled Nelly’s table.

“We were yielding very little, and the crops could not sustain us the whole year,” Nelly remembers. As a mother of seven and a farmer with two decades of experience, the stress of inconsistent yields was all-consuming. A poor harvest not only strained her family financially, but also limited their own meals to just two a day. Their story reflects that of many in their fishing and farming village near a lake in the Karonga district of northern Malawi. Here, heavy rainfall makes conventional farming methods nearly impossible. The entire village is, quite literally, saturated in food insecurity — a reality that leaves families struggling to survive season after season without a dependable source of nourishment.

In 2019, Nelly began participating in Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience, a sustainable agriculture project implemented by Rise Against Hunger in partnership with the Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS). The project works with 3,100 smallholder farmers in Malawi’s Karonga and Mzimba districts to strengthen food and nutrition security by improving production methods, nutrition practices and household income.

Just one year later, Nelly was ready to expand the variety of crops on her farm. What land once only produced maize began to flourish with sesame, cowpeas, rice and groundnuts during the rainy season (summer), as well as maize and vegetables during the dry season (winter). Through climate-smart agriculture training, she learned new techniques like manure making, pit planting and mulching, crop rotation and intercropping. Equipped with these tools, Nelly’s farm began to thrive.

After the 2023–2024 growing season, she sold enough produce to purchase an ox cart. Her harvests in 2024-2025 season yielded over 500 pounds of crops, including 22 bags of groundnuts, seven bags of maize, 12 tins of sesame and three bags of rice. With this surplus, she was able to invest in a motorbike, which she now uses to transport African doughnuts (mandasi) that she cooks and sells — creating yet another source of income for her family.

The transformation reaches far beyond her finances. Nelly now has the stability to provide for her husband and children. “I am able to eat different food types, pay school fees for my children and fulfill the visions that I have made with my family,” she beams. “I am now sleeping peacefully without any fears of food or paying school fees for the children.”

Her leadership has also grown. Today, Nelly serves as a leader in the Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience project, teaching other farmers in her district to adopt climate-resilient, labor-saving practices. By sharing her knowledge, she is multiplying her impact — empowering her neighbors to experience the same transformation she has achieved.

Across Nelly’s community, food and economic security are on the rise. Lombani, a government extension officer for the region, explains, “I can see the community is being transformed in the sense that in the area, there is food, income and nutrition security. Development is also happening at the household level.”

Nelly reflects on what it means to invest in holistic programs that address the root causes of hunger: “We are now healthy people. Children are going to school after eating their breakfast, having high yields and different types of crops due to conservation agriculture practices. With the support from the project, we have food, and we can access other food items from the market after selling our produce.”

This is the gift that fills: a future full of stability, strength and hope. It fills tables with food, families with security and communities with the resources to thrive. It’s an investment in futures rooted in resilience and hope.