World Hunger Day: What It Is and How You Can Get Involved

Today — May 28 — is World Hunger Day, an annual day focused on raising awareness and encouraging action to end world hunger. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, as many as 783 million people face hunger globally. That is almost 10% of the world’s population, making this an issue of critical importance. Everyone deserves consistent access to the food they need to live a healthy life — and together, we can mobilize to eradicate hunger. That’s what World Hunger Day is all about! Keep reading to learn more about the annual holiday and how you can get involved. 

World Hunger Day’s History and Purpose

World Hunger Day was started in 2011 by The Hunger Project to bring attention to the global food crisis. The organization recognized the importance of collective action and the power of many coming together to address food insecurity, making it a key focus of the holiday.

Over the past 13 years, millions of individuals, organizations, corporations and governments have participated in World Hunger Day, making it vital for advocacy and community engagement in the fight to end hunger. Through action and awareness, World Hunger Day has helped increase funding for food assistance, encouraged volunteering with hunger relief organizations like Rise Against Hunger, supported agriculture development projects and empowered communities globally. 

Global Hunger’s Causes and Ways to Address It

Taking action to address hunger is important — as is learning about the critical issue. While there are many root causes of hunger, there are three main contributors to food insecurity and malnutrition: conflict, climate change and economic downturns. Through our Pathways to End Hunger (Nourishing Lives, Empowering Communities, Responding to Emergencies and Growing the Movement), we address these root causes by providing urgent food for people facing hunger right now and implementing sustainable agriculture and income-generating projects for long-term solutions. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization reports that rural communities are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, with over 33% of adults living in rural areas globally affected in 2022. Rates of hunger vary by region, too. Africa, Asia, and Oceania are the three regions with the highest rates of food insecurity. But hunger also impacts people in cities, towns and villages around the world, making it truly a global issue. 

Food insecurity doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all solution. Every community affected by food insecurity faces its own challenges related to availability, access, utilization and/or stability of food. That is why a keystone to Rise Against Hunger’s work is coming alongside local leaders in the remote, last-mile communities we serve, empowering them to harness the strengths of their communities to tackle their food and nutrition security challenges. 

How YOU Can Get Involved This World Hunger Day

To achieve food security for all and make zero hunger a reality, it is important to grow the movement and bring together as many people as possible. There are many ways that you can get involved, both on World Hunger Day and throughout the year. Make a difference in the work to end hunger by: 

• Hosting a meal packaging event. Come together with your business, church, civic organization, school or other group to assemble nutritious meals with Rise Against Hunger. These meals are shipped to provide urgent nutritional assistance to communities across the globe.
• Donating. Your support enables Rise Against Hunger to serve people facing hunger globally today and work with communities to implement long-term food security solutions.
• Fundraising on social media. On Facebook and Instagram, you can host a fundraiser on behalf of Rise Against Hunger. Set a donation goal and then encourage your friends and family to donate to help end hunger. When your followers give to your fundraising campaign, you’re supporting brighter futures for people around the world!
• Spreading the word. Talk to your friends and family and share resources (like this blog!)  to inform others about this important issue! When more people know about food insecurity, it encourages action and helps grow the movement to end world hunger.