Good ‘giving season’ news for needy children after a food blogger based in San Francisco raised more than US$ 58,000 for hungry children in the developing world.

Through an on-line auction on behalf of WFP, the popular blog for international ‘foodies’ - http://chezpim.typepad.com – ran a two-week online auction “Menu for Hope” in the lead-up to the holiday season.

Doubled

Its founder, Pim Techamuanvivit, set herself the target of raising US$ 25,000 for WFP but in the end, thanks to widespread interest and generosity, she more than doubled her target, providing an early seasonal gift for hungry children living in places like Darfur, Niger or Bangladesh.

“This is a great achievement from an individual who has decided to use the popularity of her food blog to serve a good cause – global hunger,” said Neil Gallagher, Director of Communications.

“It also demonstrates the unrecognized power of the on-line community to contribute to a unique effort like this, showing solidarity with hungry children in poorer countries.”

Menu for Hope

The “Menu for Hope” auction used a simple formula, charging US $10 for tickets to bid for an eclectic array of gastronomic items contributed by friends, supporters and avid readers of Techamuanvivit’s blog.

During the auction fortnight, Techamuanvivit maintained interest in the initiative by various means which included describing her trials of WFP food ration ingredients like Corn Soya Blend – which nourish starving people - in traditional recipes.

Famous chefs

She also posted WFP video material featuring famous chefs helping to highlight the scourge of hunger.

Prizes ranged from dinner for two at top international restaurants, to rare cookery books, and regional baskets of unusual ingredients. The results of the auction will be published on the blogon 15 January 2007.

Bettina Luescher
WFP/New York
Tel. +1-212-9635196
Cell. +1-646-8241112
luescher@un.org

Brenda Barton
Deputy Director
Communications
WFP/Rome
Tel. +39-06-65132602
Cell. +39-3472582217
(ISDN line available)
brenda.barton@wfp.org

Christiane Berthiaume
WFP/Geneva
Tel. +41-22-9178564
Cell. +41-792857304
christiane.berthiaume
@wfp.org