Making the Connection Between Hunger and Sustainability #BetterTogether

Not many people are aware of the relationship between hunger and sustainability, so when I heard about Unilever’s Cross Off Hunger Campaign, I was excited to participate in spreading the word and helping to build awareness about this interrelated issue.

About Unilever

You’ve probably heard of some of Unilever’s brands. I know I’ve used Q-Tips, Ben & Jerry’s, Lipton, Bertoli, and Klondike practically all my life. As part of their corporate responsibility, they have created an awesome site called Making Life Better, where they post articles and tips for going green and living sustainably, and encourage everyone to make life better for their communities and the world. Sometimes it might seem like it’s trendy to carry your own reusable bags (although, I still get surprised looks when I whip out my little bag that folds into a ball when I’m at a store!) and you wonder if it really makes a difference. But together, when lots of people make little changes, it really does!

About the Cross Off Hunger Initiative

As part of Unilever’s sustainable living goal, they have partnered with Feeding America for the Cross Off Hunger Initiative. Most people think that hunger only affects developing countries, but we have food insecurity right here in North America. I was the volunteer director for a food bank several years ago, and it’s amazing how much need there is right in our own communities. Food banks provide emergency nutrition for people who have unexpected emergencies, medical bills, job loss, or other extenuating circumstances that could happen to any one of us. And in today’s economy, I’m glad to see a company like Unilever making a difference and partnering with Feeding America. Unilever is committed to donating more than two million meals to families in need with Feeding America and every item on your shopping list counts.  Show your support by adding Unilever brands to your cart next time you shop.  Together we can help to Cross Off Hunger.

Making the International Connection

So, earlier I promised to make the connection between sustainable living and hunger. As you may know, I work for an international relief and development organization. One of the major causes of hunger in the world right now is climate change; whether or not you believe it’s human-induced, the fact is that there are farmers who can no longer depend on the seasons or rains to come when they always used to. Even if we can make a small contribution to fighting climate change, we are fighting hunger. And to make this even more concrete, I’ve decided to take the $50 that I received as part of this campaign to restock the duplex where many community development workers stay when they are visiting the U.S. offices of the organization for which I work. These workers are on the front lines in Africa, Asia, and Latin America helping farmers learn coping strategies for the weather changes they are experiencing through sustainable agriculture practices and new and improved varieties of seed.

I’ll be posting next week about what I bought, I can’t wait to show you!

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Unilever  #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions are my own.

Feeding America(R), the nation’s largest organization dedicated to fighting domestic hunger through a network of food banks.  $1=8meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks.  Unilever will donate $250,000.  The monetary equivalent of a minimum of 2 million meals will be donated

Learn more at www.makinglifebetter.com, Twitter, or Facebook.