Help Combat Hunger … One Day at a Time … One Child at a Time …Today

Help Combat Hunger … One Day at a Time … One Child at a Time …Today

Today, March 11, 2009, is Global Food Crisis Day. It’s not a holiday. It’s a call to action to recognize the current state of emergency in the lives of the world’s poorest of the poor.

Most people are aware of how the dramatic changes in the U.S., Asian and global economy are affecting them personally—reducing many 401(k) and pension funds by fifty percent, dropping stock prices, softening property values, making credit more difficult to obtain and increasing fears about job security.

But what about how it’s affecting people who have no retirement funds, stock, homes, credit or jobs? Coupled with the worldwide economic crisis, the numerous recent natural disasters, increased transportation costs and nearly doubled cost of wheat, rice and corn products, millions of people literally face the grim daily fact of no food. No food can mean no hope. No food and no hope can mean no future.

Compassion International, a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity, reports the following shocking facts compiled from respected non-profits including UNICEF, ONE.org and the World Health Organization:

· 1 in 7 people worldwide go to bed hungry every night
· Of those 1 in 7, the number of children who go to bed hungry every night totals 300 million
· One-third of the world’s population is undernourished, increasing their chances of death by disease
· 25,000 starvation-related deaths occur every day
· Nearly half of those deaths – 12,000 – are children
· Every 7 seconds, a child dies of hunger-related causes

What can you do? Everyone can do something. Pray about it. Learn about it. Blog about it. Tell your friends about it. In Santa Clara County, Silicon Valley and the Greater Bay Area, listen to participating radio station broadcasts like Air1 (local stations 88.9, 90.7, 96.3 and 100.9 FM), and K-Love (local stations 91.1, 99.3 and 101.9 FM). Get your church, group or organization involved in it. Download free items from the Compassion website , such as widgets, banners, e-cards and bookmarks for posting to Web sites, and social networking pages such as FaceBook and MySpace.

Monetary donations are always welcome. Compassion International estimates about $13 USD per month feeds a child for about a month – or less money than most Americans pay for a delivered pizza.

Every year in Santa Clara County, real estate, mortgage and affiliated professionals like me who are members of the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® and the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® collect hundreds of thousands of containers of food for Second Harvest and similar reputable charities that distribute that most basic necessity—food. Most people don’t realize a real estate consultant like me is involved in this profession because we believe homeownership can be a huge blessing--when an individual or family has developed the financial strength, faith and tenacity to transition from surviving in shelter to thriving in stability.

Hunger is personal. Get personally involved. You may not be able to feed the world, or afford an annual sponsorship--but you can still help one hungry child today.

Founded in 1952, Compassion International successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1 million children in 25 of the world's poorest countries through nearly 5,000 local churches. Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, Compassion works holistically through local churches to address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children — enabling them to thrive not just survive. Their motto is, “Releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.” Compassion has been awarded seven consecutive, four-star ratings by Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator.

Michelle C. Carr-Crowe is a full-time real estate consultant and the leader of the Get RE$ult$ Team based in the Silicon Valley Bay Area. A licensee for over 20 years (DRE #00901962), Michelle and her team specialize in helping people buy, sell & invest in homes and properties in the San Jose Lynbrook, Cupertino, Saratoga & Palo Alto School Districts throughout Santa Clara County. She can be reached at 408.252.8900, info@lynbrookhighhomes.com or www.michellejudycarr.com.

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