WILL WORK FOR FOOD

High Five to Lauren Yaffe!

2012-01-22T15:32:00.008-05:00

Last week on Monday (1/16/12), Americans across the country observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day. While some spent the day off from work and classes relaxing, others spent the day giving back to the community. Lauren Yaffe falls into the latter group. After hearing about Will Work for Food from her cousin, co-founder Steve Weinberg, Lauren has spent the last four Martin Luther King Jr. Days at the Chicago Cares MLK Jr. Day of Service event. We caught up with Lauren to talk about how she spent her MLK Jr. Day, how she has maintained sponsorship for three years (a difficult feat!), and her advice for those who are interested in Will Work for Food.

Lauren (wearing the Michigan sweatshirt) with fellow volunteers.

What activities did you do for MLK Day this year?

I annually attend the Chicago Cares MLK Jr. Day of Service volunteering event. I have attended the event the last four years and it's a well organized event with lots of volunteers from all over Chicago.Chicago Cares assigns each volunteer to a project each year so you never know what you'll do until the day of the event! This year, I volunteered at an elementary school on the south side of Chicago. The event was open to children and teenagers to participate in activities at the school for most of the day on Saturday Jan 14th. I volunteered with older kids ages 8-14 doing interactive activities throughout the day. We did a "love your neighbor" activity allowing the kids to interact with their peers as well as learn that we are all similar in many ways. We then did a game called the Bully Machine in which we taught kids about bullying and how to respond when they get bullied or if they see a friend or fellow student getting bullied. Cyberbullying is a major issue in schools right now due to Facebook, Twitter and even texting, so it is important to teach kids tolerance and acceptance as well as how to respond if they are being bullied. The last activity allowed the kids to paint their ideas of what symbols of peace look like throughout the world. We glued all the paintings together into a mural that was hung in the school foyer for all the kids to see.

Describe how you have continued your relationship with your sponsors over the years.

I only choose one volunteer event each year to get WWFF sponsorship for. I have decided that a large annual full day volunteer project seems worthy of asking for sponsorship from my friends and family. Plus, it is an annual commitment that I have made to Chicago Cares and WWFF that most of my friends and family recognize. I also make it known that any form of financial support is appreciated and can make an impact on child malnutrition. I also encourage my friends to volunteer with me each year! Each year, I've had 1-2 friends to volunteer with me (usually U of M grads!). When asking for sponsorship/donations, I usually only reach out to friends that I have a strong relationship with. I also like to ask co-workers that I'm close with if I think that they would be passionate about the WWFF cause. Lastly, after the volunteer activity, I write all the sponsors a follow up email sharing with them what volunteer activity I did for the day (with pictures attached) as well as how much they helped to raise in total. I think this email allows the sponsors to feel included in the work effort rather than feel just like a person who donated.

Do you have any advice for those who are interested in Will Work for Food but need ideas or inspiration going forward?

I think that people should volunteer for a cause that they are passionate about. I am passionate about fighting child malnutrition in Africa (I've traveled to Kenya, Morocco, South Africa and Zambia and have seen the living conditions, poverty and lack of clean water) and think the cause is worthy of our support. Also, I enjoy giving back to my community while also making friends. Thus, I often try to volunteer with Chicago Cares activities which has many young professionals. I also enjoy volunteering with University of Michigan alumni to stay connected to my college roots. It's important to be selective in asking for sponsors. If someone chooses to tutor children every other week at a local elementary school, that person could ask for sponsorship for the entire year based on their bi-weekly commitment to serve in the community. I have chosen to partner with WWFF for my annual Chicago Cares MLK Jr. Day of Service.

Lauren, thank you so much for your continued support for Will Work for Food and your philanthropic spirit. We look forward to hearing about your future accomplishments!

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High Five to UNC's Troy Homesley!

2011-11-12T14:46:00.008-05:00

As as sophomore, Troy Homesley has already made incredible strides towards building the WWFF chapter and morale at UNC Chapel Hill. Check out what he has to say about his role in WWFF and where he finds inspiration!

Tell us about yourself. How did you get involved with WILL WORK FOR FOOD? What you do for the organization?

One of the best experiences during my time at UNC has been the establishment and development of UNC's chapter of WWFF. My freshman year, I was contacted by Ben Vollmer, co-founder of this chapter, and he told me what WWFF was all about. The philosophy behind WWFF intrigued me, it intrigued me because it was something much more than a volunteer organization and had much higher goals than merely raising money. That's when I decided to become involved. One year later, WWFF has received UNC recognition and new members join daily. Today, I also serve as the Chair of the Volunteer, we oversee the development and implementation of weekl Committee y work efforts.

This past summer, I was in India for two months working on an education development project in a local slum area. Through my work in India, I gained a better appreciation for the fact that the work that we do at WWFF has very meaningful and far-reaching effects upon countless human beings. To see the suffering of starving children and families allowed me to understand the dire needs of places such as India, Somalia, the French Horn and other areas around the world. The realization of this need motivated me to come back to campus and do my best to help WWFF help others.

Please describe the event for which you raised money recently. Was this donation expected? How did you feel after receiving such a donation?

Recently, we organized a work effort to help clean up a local park known as Battle Park. We met at the park around 10:00 a.m. and went through to clear out weeds that would otherwise turn the park into a monoculture. This is an event we volunteer at multiple times each year, and something that leaves a tangible difference at the end of the day. I created the work effort and soon I had my first donations rolling in. Not only was I getting donations, but so were others from UNC who had signed up for the work effort. It's a great feeling to know that people are putting their money where their mouth is and literally pledging to support local volunteering and global action simultaneously.

What else do you partake in outside of WWFF?

Outside of WWFF, I am a member of the UNC Attorney General's Staff, a captain of the Carolina Mock Trial Team and a founder of The Sigma Phi Society. I am majoring in Political Science and Philosophy and I hope to attend law school after I complete my undergraduate studies. In the meantime, I pride myself on being a friend of the one and only Ben Vollmer.

List the top 5 places you wish to travel to:

1.) Iran

2.) Turkey

3.) Chile

4.) Nepal

5.) Israel

Many thanks to Troy Homesley, Ben Vollmer, Peter Helvie, Jesse Marques, and everyone else at the WWFF chapter at UNC for continuing to accomplish amazing things. We look forward to hearing about your future efforts!

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter at @willwork4_food

Or "Like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WillWorkForFood.org

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Drought in Somalia

2011-11-10T15:19:00.005-05:00

Did you know that it has been over 100 days since famine was declared in Somalia?

As our goal is to help malnourished children around the globe, the current condition in Somalia is extremely relevant to our cause. This past summer, Somalia experienced one of the worst droughts in 60 years and has caused famine. Tens of thousands of Somalis have died and others have fled to neighboring countries.

How bad really is it?

Between July and September, over 110,000 malnourished children in the region were taken to health centers due to moderate and severe malnutrition.

What is America doing to help?

Aid groups around the country have raised about $60 million from private donors. While this should not be overlooked, it is noticeably lower than the $1.29 billion that we raised for Haiti.

What can you do to help the cause?

Get involved and raise sponsors--“volunteer locally to save children globally!”

Click here to see a video of a three-year-old boy who had severe acute malnutrition, the most extreme kind. He is one of the 336,000 children who suffer from this malnutrition across Somalia. Yet, after two months of treatment with therapeutic foods and medication, he is currently recovering!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Lauren Hasday's Experience in Bogota!

2011-10-24T18:24:00.006-04:00

University of Michigan graduate, Lauren Hasday, tells us about her experience living in Bogota and her unbelievable work. She was a very active member of Will Work For Food while she was at Michigan and is continuing her community service in Bogota. We sent her some questions and she was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer them for us. They are below:

1) Who you are, what you are all about, how did you get involved with WILL WORK FOR FOOD, what you do for the organization, anything else cool that you do outside of WWFF?

I just graduated from U-M in April with a degree in Psychology, History and Women’s Studies. I’m originally from Long Island, but I’m living in Bogota, Colombia for the year teaching English, travelling and learning Spanish. I got involved with Will Work for Food my junior year because my friend told me about it and it sounded really interested. I’m really into social responsibility and giving back to the community so I thought WWFF had a really great philosophy reaching out to our local community and the world at large. I started out as a Regional Manager organizing and maintaining relationships with reps from other colleges in the US. I moved on my senior year to be a member of the marketing team helping with some publicity and website stuff and the larger U-M events.

2) What are you currently doing/working on for WWFF?

Right now since I graduated I am just doing some volunteering, I am teaching English to wounded soldiers on an army and a navy battalion in Bogota. We are teaching them English as a marketable skill that could help them get a job in the future. We teach basic conversation and vocabulary that will be useful in their day-to-day lives. It’s a pretty good experience because many of the men I am teaching haven’t had very much formal education and it’s cool to see their progress week-to-week. I immediately thought of WWFF when I got started so I asked Steve if I could get it sponsored so that I could stay connected to the club because I really enjoyed working for WWFF in school.

3) A top five list of a category such as "Favorite Things About Fall," "Favorite Things About Halloween," "Places I'd Like To Visit," "Favorite TV Shows," or any other category that you can think of.

Top Five Places I’d Like to Visit: 1. Cairo 2. Santorini 3. Budapest 4. Jerusalem 5. Abu Dhabi

Lauren, thanks so much for telling us about your experience in Bogota.  We love to hear about the good work our WWFF members are doing around the world!

Furman U. hosts clever fundraiser

2011-05-11T14:17:00.000-04:00

Furman University recently hosted one of the most innovative, creative, and most importantly, au natural ways to raise money for our cause: Mustache March for Malnourishment. Pretty witty name, no? We recently interviewed one of the brave men who sported a mustache for the entire month--Zach Greene.

How did you get involved? Why?

In regards to how I got involved with WWFF, my friend Sarah Caldwell (who is the chapter president at Furman) and I had been talking about starting a non-profit organization branch at Furman, and Will Work for Food seemed like a great organization to be affiliated with. Also, our friend from high school Ben Vollmer, who participates in the Will Work for Food chapter in Chapel Hill, had suggested the organization as a great non-profit to be a part of.

What about Furman University makes it a good place for WWFF?

Furman University is comprised of students who are willing and able to invest their time and effort into activities outside of the academic realm, which made the Mustache March for Malnourishment fundraiser easy to manage. It's difficult to generalize, but I'd say Furman students are cognizant of problems that are globally relevant, such as malnourishment, as well as problems that affect our nation specifically, such as widespread hunger. Ultimately, the Furman students who participated in Mustache March for Malnourishment showed the initiative to sacrifice their time in order to raise money in order to help a cause that they felt was of great importance.

Tell us about the work effort. What did you do to make it succeed? How did you market it on campus?

Initially we put flyers up around campus advertising Mustache March for Malnourishment, stating, "Support your favorite mustache" and "Your change makes a change." I felt like getting big donations from college students would be difficult, but "tapping into" their parents and Furman alumni would yield the biggest donations. We spread the word through email to our peers and our professors, and we also made a large poster that we put up in the dining hall with the pictures of the contestants with mustaches. Ideally next year we will get the Furman president Dr. Smolla as well as other Furman faculty members to grow mustaches in support of the fundraiser.

Tell us about the contestants who participated. How did they raise money? Any funny stories?

The contestants who participated were: Dakota Derrick, Zack Houghton, Parth Thakker, Michael Kelly, and myself. I was skeptical all along of my mustache growing abilities, and I knew that some of the other participants would not have my same difficulties. When we came back from spring break, our friend and contestant Parth Thakker already had a much thicker mustache than any of the other participants, and proceeded to tell us that he had already shaved twice for a family wedding. My friend and roommate Michael Kelly had to compete in multiple track events (200m sprinter) with a mustache, so I'm sure that was entertaining for his competitors. Other than constantly being asked if I had lost a bet, or if I was rushing for a frat, or being called "sir" outside of Furman, not too much was different with having a mustache.

Any future plans to raise money for WWFF?

We intend to hold Mustache March for Malnourishment again next year at Furman. Ideally, it will be an intercollegiate competition, each college raising a minimum amount of money between the contestants and then competing for the prestigious award "Best Mustaches in America." This year's fundraiser was quite the learning experience for Michael Kelly, Sarah Caldwell, and I, and I think knowing now what goes into managing a successful fundraiser, we should expect to see a great increase in the amount of donations raised for next year's Mustache March for Malnourishment!

A big thanks to Furman University for this clever idea to raise money and awareness for child malnutrition!

High Five From WILL WORK FOR FOOD: Elizabeth Watchowski

2011-04-07T23:37:00.009-04:00

This installment of the WILL WORK FOR FOOD High Five features Elizabeth Watchowski, a University of Michigan freshman who, back in mid-March, had one of the most impressive performances during the highly successful HQ Team Food Drive. Elizabeth, who decided to volunteer for the Food Drive with her Delta Delta Delta sorority, managed to raise $2,440 from nearly 30 different sponsors, all in less than 48 hours!

Elizabeth found that getting sponsored for her volunteer work wasn't complicated, it just took a little time and thoughtful effort. She started out by sending the generic WWFF-provided email to prospective sponsors before following up with her own personalized note, sending both to her entire list of online contacts as well as those of her parents. And while Elizabeth acknowledges that her success is largely due to "the extreme generosity of [her] friends and family," her strategy of getting sponsored obviously proved to be successful. It's a simple concept (personalizing emails and sending follow-ups), but doggone it, it works.

Following the Food Drive, Elizabeth mentioned that it was her first experience with WILL WORK FOR FOOD, but that it won't be her last. We are glad to hear that and look forward to having Elizabeth on board for future WWFF-HQ Team events. And since she'll be sticking around, why not get to know Elizabeth a little more. And is there any better way to get to know somebody new than finding out their favorite PG rated Youtube videos? There isn't. And that's why we are proud to present Elizabeth Watchowski's

Pre-Event Highlight: UNC Battle Park Cleanup & Block Party

2011-03-31T19:11:00.005-04:00

From 10am-12pm on April 2nd, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, WILL WORK FOR FOOD-UNC will be hosting the Battle Park Cleanup. More than 20 volunteers are expected to take part in this service project which aims to beautify Battle Park, located on-campus at the University of North Carolina.

"[Battle Park] is a great place for students to run, hike, or just hang out," said WWFF-UNC Co-Chapter Represntative, Ben Vollmer, "This will be the second time we've helped to clean up Battle Park."

Following the service project, students at UNC are invited to attend a Block Party on Amity Court. There, attendees will be treated to food and live music, all intended to raise awareness for the UNC Chapter of WILL WORK FOR FOOD. According to Vollmer, the Block Party was the brainchild of marketing manager, Jayce Walker.

"We've just finished applying for official university recognition, which we should have in the fall, and we wanted to make the student body familiar with WILL WORK FOR FOOD," said Vollmer, "Jayce contacted a number of bands to play and really took the lead on this project."

With the help of their other Chapter Rep, Peter Helvie, as well as everyone else at WWFF-UNC, our folks down in Chapel Hill certainly are on the quick path to success. Great job Tar Heels and good luck this weekend with the Battle Park Cleanup and Block Party!

WILL WORK FOR FOOD is fortunate to have many great chapters all over the country. It seems like every week, another great work effort s is being hosted by WWFF somewhere. If you think you have what it takes to be a great Chapter Rep and come up with your own service events, learn how you can become a Chapter Rep today!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Event Highlight Update: Top Teams from the HQ Food Drive

2011-03-22T17:07:00.003-04:00

The WILL WORK FOR FOOD Headquarters Team's Food Drive (March 11-12) was a through and through success ($6,000 raised and 3012 pounds of food collected). With the final numbers in, we are excited to announce our top teams! First off, Team Delta:

Led by team captain Becca Kendis, Team Delta raised $3,460. We appreciate all of the hard work each and every team put into the Food Drive, but Team Delta particularly blew us away with their unprecedented success with fundraising.
Team Delta was comprised of 10 members of the University of Michigan's Delta Delta Delta chapter. After being informed about WILL WORK FOR FOOD by an academic advisor, Becca attended a WWFF Food Drive mass meeting back in January, where she decided to become a team captain. Utilzing the outreach resources provided to team captains from WWFF, Becca was able to organize Team Delta and get them on track to raise their record sum with support from friends and families.

"We feel very fortunate that our team members' families and friends were incredibly supportive of our efforts and responded so generously," said Becca.

Understanding that not everyone is in a position to donate generously, it was definitely helpful that the members of Team Delta reached out to nearly 100 friends and family asking them to contribute.

One member of Team Delta did an especially outstanding job. In less than 24 hours, Elizabeth Watchowski managed to raise $1,835 from over a dozen different family members and friends that sponsored her! The donations kept rolling in and Elizabeth ended up raising $2,400 from about 25 sponsors. Look for another blog post coming soon about how Elizabeth had so much success.

Another noteworthy performance came from Team KKG. This team, led by Lucy Przybylski, Stephanie Priel, and Jess Lazar, worked its way to raising $1,150. Jess, the designated team captain, mentioned that she had so much success fundraising by simply sending a pre-drafted email from WWFF out to over a dozen family members and friends. It definitely helped that Jess wrote a compelling bio in her WWFF profile and also followed up with an additional personalized email to them all.

"Almost everyone that I emailed donated," Jess said, "I am really lucky to have such generous and supportive people in my life."

And WILL WORK FOR FOOD is lucky to have had such great people working hard to ensure the food drive's success. Becca, Elizabeth, Jess and the rest of our "Workers" that participated in the food drive and got sponsored perfectly demonstrate how big of an impact you can have when you just get involved and ask friends and family to support your work.

We couldn't have pulled off this food drive without our team captains, volunteers, and of course everyone that contributed as a sponsor. We sincerely thank everyone that was involved! We also encourage you all to continue volunteering locally to save children globally!

Want to get involved with WILL WORK FOR FOOD but you don't know how? Stop thinking and dive right in!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Event Highlight: HQ Team Food Drive

2011-03-14T23:26:00.009-04:00

Based in Ann Arbor, MI, the WILL WORK FOR FOOD Headquarters Team works very hard to ensure WWFF spreads itself into high schools and colleges across the nation diligently and successfully. With goal-setting, branding, and consulting services, dozens of (mostly) University of Michigan (UofM) students spend dozens of hours each week ensuring WILL WORK FOR FOOD's success. This past weekend, however, the WWFF-HQ Team practiced what it preaches and hosted a large-scale event at UofM:

The HQ Team Food Drive.

The Food Drive was a two-day event that started on Friday, March 11th. Groups, led by designated and trained team captains, were assigned neighborhoods near the Michigan campus and around Ann Arbor where they flyered and distributed collection bags to nearly 1,000 houses advertising the food dirve. Then, the next day from 12-3pm, volunteers spent their afternoons collecting canned goods left out by residents on their porches. Following the collection, each group returned to campus for a sorting party at which the HQ Team, Team Captains and volunteers gathered to see the impressive amount of food that they gathered.

"It was really inspiring to see so many students who truly wanted to make a difference." ~Levi Barry, WWFF Evaluation Manager

The final weigh-in for collected canned goods came in at a whopping 3,012 lbs. That is heavier than most mid-sized cars! Every pound of that food went to Food Gatherers, an Ann Arbor-based food bank that provides over 10,000 meals a day for those in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County who are in need.

With over 15 groups and over 80 volunteers, this group of dedicated U-M students did the Maize & Blue proud en route to raising over $5,000 (as of 3/14/11; new donations continue to pour in).

Levi Barry, a U-M junior and in his second year as WWFF's Evaluation Manager, was very impressed with the dedication put in by the volunteers and Team Captains, especially considering the timing of the event.

"Because so many of the volunteers' friends were spending this past Friday and Saturday partying in preparation for St. Patricks's Day [this coming Thursday], it was really inspiring to see these students who truly wanted to make a difference dedicate their weekend to making the Food Drive a success."

While a number of Food Drive volunteers have been a part of WILL WORK FOR FOOD's HQ Team for at least a few months, many were participating in their first WWFF event.

"I decided to be a team captain because it seemed like a great opportunity to
get some leadership experience and to help out a worthy cause," freshman Lauren Nieman said, "I think this type of event has a strong future at U-M because it was a great way for college students to get involved in the community while also helping malnourished kids abroad without taking up too much time from their busy schedules."

And with these kinds of endorsement from Michigan underclassmen, it is easy to understand why the future of WILL WORK FOR FOOD has the students at U-M so excited.

"I think it's great that WILL WORK FOR FOOD at Michigan is now practicing what it preaches," said Barry, "I look forward to next year's Food Drive as we work to build upon the success of this year's."

And they will.

Be on the lookout for blog posts this week about top captains and participants from the Food Drive.

There are so many great work efforts that have gone on across America through WILL WORK FOR FOOD, and it's easy to bring WWFF to your school. Don't hesitate, become a WWFF Rep today!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Event Highlight: Hunger Banquet @ OSU

2011-02-27T14:59:00.004-05:00

Last Wednesday (2/23/11), WWFF-OSU, led by campus rep Molly Morse, raised $275 by participating in the "Hunger Banquet". The event was put on by an Ohio State Honors College service organization - Serving With Honor - and is a yearly event that WWFF-OSU hopes to be a part of on a traditional basis.

"Before the event we thought if we could raise about $80, we would all be happy," said Morse, "When we realized that we had raised $275 we were over the moon since it is only our first year on campus."

At the Hunger Banquet - where all proceeds went to WILL WORK FOR FOOD - WWFF-OSU gave a presentation about their work and the organization which was followed by a screening of the Doctors Without Borders documentary, Starved For Attention. At the end of the event, everyone signed a petition to change the nutritional guidelines for donated food aid. The petition will be presented to world leaders at the G8 summit in May by Doctors Without Borders representatives.

While the Hunger Banquet at Ohio State did a great job of spreading the WILL WORK FOR FOOD message, the "main event" was easily the coolest part of the entire experience. Finding a creative way to express global food inequality, participants were randomly divided into 3 classifications and received a meal based on their classification. The smallest group of participants was in the "Wealthy Class" and was served a 3-course meal of lasagna, salad, and desert. The next group, modestly larger than the wealthy class was the "Middle Class" who had to wait in line to receive one slice of pizza and water. Finally, the largest class (which made up the majority of the participants) was the "Lower Class" who had to wait in line to receive only a small plate of rice. After everyone had their meal, participants were seated at a table that had people from each classification in order to facilitate discussion about class inequalities, especially pertaining to food.

With the advice of their faculty advisor, Julie Humbel, WWFF-OSU's core team of Morse, Megan Bennett, and Adrienne Darah got in contact with Serving With Honor about volunteering at the Hunger Banquet as a work effort. Impressed with WILL WORK FOR FOOD, however, it was decided that the focus of the 2011 Hunger Banquet would be on global hunger and that all of the proceeds benefited WILL WORK FOR FOOD. This certainly got Morse excited about the event.

"The Hunger Banquet was a really great idea and we were just lucky enough to be a part of it. I really hope that we can continue to do something similar in the future to benefit WILL WORK FOR FOOD because the participants really seemed to respond well to the discussion about global food inequality and child malnutrition."

I encourage you to learn more about world hunger and the work Doctors Without Borders does. And while your at it, if you are interested in finding a group that is as involved with spreading these important messages like the girls at Ohio State are, don't hesitate; get involved today!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

WWFF Participant Spotlight: Lauren Yaffe

2011-01-20T19:40:00.010-05:00

This past Monday (1/17/2011), schools, workplaces, and many other activities and establishments took a break to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This federal holiday is at times viewed as "just another excuse to get a day off," but since 1994, it has been much more than that. When then-President Bill Clinton signed off on King Holiday and Service Act, MLK Jr. Day became (to many) Martin Luther King Day of Service.

The idea of having a day of service every year in mid-January has been a great way to honor Dr. King and his ideas of nonviolent activism. WILL WORK FOR FOOD has always been a great supporter of MLK Service Day and we would like to honor one member who has continually done an excellent job raising money for the WWFF cause through Service Day work efforts.

Lauren Yaffe heard about WILL WORK FOR FOOD from her cousin, co-founder Steve Weinberg. She was automatically inspired by WWFF's slogan: Volunteering locally to help children globally.

"I think that donating to sponor someone's work effort is a really ingenious idea," Yaffe said, "[It]is a strong motivator for people to donate because their money is turning into action!"

This past MLK Service Day, Lauren raised $515 in the fight against child malnutrition, bringing her to an impressive 3-year Service Day total of $1,010!

"Dr. King believed that giving back to the community was crucial and this day is to honor his legacy," added Yaffe.

During past MLK Service Days, Yaffe has taught at an after-school program intended to educate children on Martin Luther King, Jr. and diversity, created murals and paintings for a elementary school on the South Side of Chicago, and - most recently - volunteered at a homeless shelter on Chicago's North Side organizing clothing donations for the homeless.

When it is not MLK Service Day, Lauren Yaffe likes to volunteer through Chicago Cares and has attended several professional networking events that allow her to merge her business interests with philanthropy. For example, she attended a charitable networking event for a law firm where the attendees assembled gift bags that were sent to the Battered Women's Shelter.

Lauren Yaffe's involvement has been inspiring and is a perfect demonstration of how powerful the WILL WORK FOR FOOD model can be. According to Yaffe, her secret to success is something we are all capable of: taking pride in what you do. While she has never been shy in asking for donations from family, friends, and co-workers, Yaffe has made it a point to always personalize her messages to let everyone know exactly how she is involved.

"Volunteering in the community is truly a way of giving back to society and focusing your time and energy on an initiative that is close to your heart. Also, any time you can give is better than nothing, whether it is once a year, once a month or once a week," Yaffe said, "Volunteering doesn't have to be a full day affair - any time that someone can give is better than nothing and will make a difference.

Would you like to make a difference? Have a minute? Get involved with WILL WORK FOR FOOD today!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Food For Thought: World Hunger vs. World Malnutrition

2010-12-08T15:30:00.003-05:00

This week, Food For Thought will help distinguishing features between world hunger and malnutrition.

One major difference between Hunger and Malnutrition is the cause. According to KidsHealth.org, people who have plenty of food to eat can still suffer from malnourishment. If people are not eating the right food that provides the appropriate nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, they could suffer from diseases associated with the deficiency of certain nutrients.

As the article continues, it also mentions that there are some people become malnourished because a disease prevents them from absorbing or receiving the nutrients from food that they intake.

Despite the difference in the cause, world hunger and malnutrition, however, are highly associated in a larger scale. World hunger and malnutrition most predominantly exist in a world of poverty. Solving issues caused by world hunger could help to alleviate world malnutrition in areas where nutritional foods are not abundant. (eatright. org)

The primary goal of WILL WORK FOR FOOD is to raise funds for the distribution of Plumpy'nut® for malnourished children in countries of poverty.

How to get Plumpy'nut®?
Get involved with WILL WORK FOR FOOD!

One hundred percent of the money we raise together will help Doctors Without Borders purchase and distribute nutritional supplements, like Plumpy’nut®, to help save malnourished children.

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

High Five From WILL WORK FOR FOOD: Meredith Rizzo

2010-12-06T19:46:00.005-05:00

This installment of the WILL WORK FOR FOOD High Five features Meredith Rizzo of Saint Mary's College (IN). Yesterday, WWFF-Saint Mary's successfully completed their 40-hour work week (November 29-December 5). Participants in the series of work efforts, amongst other activities, wrote letters to soldiers and served brunch at a local homeless shelter. This comes on the heels of a community food drive held in early November. Even more impressive, though, is that WWFF-Saint Mary's was just launched during the last week of October. Multiple successful work efforts at this Indiana private school translates into high hopes for the future!

Meredith first heard about WILL WORK FOR FOOD from some former East Grand Rapids High School classmates, including current Director of Operations, Matt Woelfel. Meredith watched WWFF from a distance the past two years, but always wanting to serve her community while making a difference globally, she started talking to some friends in September about starting a chapter at Saint Mary's. Along with Fundraising Coordinator, Katie Herbig, Volunteer Coordinator, Anna Holod, and Marketing Coordinator, Christina Quinn, Meredith has gotten WWFF-Saint Mary's to hit the ground running.

Had it not been for Meredith spending the entire 2009-2010 academic year studying abroad in Rome, Italy, we could have been fortunate enough to have WWFF-Saint Mary's a whole year earlier. But we're not blaming you, Meredith - I want to go to Rome, too - we're just fortunate to finally have you part of the WILL WORK FOR FOOD family. But just in case Meredith decides to take off somewhere again, we can start by looking at one of her TOP FIVE FAVORITE PLACES IN THE WORLD:

1) Grand Haven, MI
2) Rome, Italy
3) Madrid, Spain
4) Capri, Italy
5) New York, New York

While Meredith's favorite places certainly has an international flavor to it, she knows how important it is to remembers that big differences can start right in your own community. If you would like to find a WWFF group to join, check our group directory; there may be a group at your school already. WILL WORK FOR FOOD: Volunteering Locally to Help Children Globally.

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

(Pictured Above L-R: Christina Quinn, Anna Holod, & Meredith Rizzo)

High Five From WILL WORK FOR FOOD: The Buckeye Trio

2010-11-24T11:12:00.005-05:00

Though WILL WORK FOR FOOD is headquartered at the University of Michigan and the annual Michigan-Ohio State football game is this Saturday, in honor of Thanksgiving, this installment of the High Five gives thanks to the hard work by three Buckeye ladies who have accomplished so much down in Colombus.

Led by Chapter Representative, Molly Morse, Volunteer Coordinator, Megan Bennett, and Marketing Coordinator, Adrienne Darah, WWFF-OSU completed its first 40-hour work week (with 45 service hours!) by volunteering at the (Ohio State vs. Michigan) Blood Drive, babysitting for mothers in a local ESL class, and by preparing and serving food at an International Potluck Dinner. These girls have done so much, I can't help but write in run-ons!

The highly-successful WWFF-OSU chapter was started by Molly who, upon transferring to Ohio State from U-M - as a Wolverine, it stings to say that - decided to start up a chapter at OSU since she enjoyed her time with WWFF-Michigan. Megan and Adrienne got involved with WWFF after hearing about it from Molly, and all three of them cited their "WORKIN' FOR FOOD"-motivation as fighting child malnutrition and the excitement of starting their own WWFF-chapter. Well, even in Ann Arbor, we can get excited about this Buckeye trio's work!

In honor (and in irony) of WWFF-OSU's rise to success, Molly, Megan, and Adrienne have decided to share with us their TOP 5 FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT FALL:

1) Thanksgiving
2) Ohio State Football
3) Black Friday Shopping
4) Apple Picking
5) 2/3 of their Birthdays!!

While the next few days appear to be chock full of their favorite Fall things, WILL WORK FOR FOOD would like to wish everybody a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! And as our focus turns to turkey day tomorrow, this is still a perfect time to start your own WWFF chapter, just like Molly, Megan, and Adrienne did. It only takes 5 minutes to become a Chapter Representative today!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Food For Thought: Thanksgiving Sweet Potato helps to alleviate world malnutrition?!

2010-11-22T11:25:00.005-05:00

Hi there, everyone, Happy Thanksgiving! We hope everyone will have an awesome Thanksgiving break, but malnutrition in the world does not cease.

This week Food for Thought will share with you a Thanksgiving special blog post on one of the staple in Thanksgiving meal besides Turkey. ;)

According to McClatchy newspaper, agricultural researchers have discovered that orange sweet potatoes, rich in zinc and iron, may help improve the immunity system of malnourished children.

Traditional African sweet potatoes are not orange; they are red outside and white inside. These potatoes do not provide sufficient amount of beta-carotene,which helps the body to convert vitamin A.

The lack of vitamin A would like to blindness in children.

"Experts estimate that vitamin A deficiency blinds 500,000 preschool children globally each year, and that about two-thirds of them die within months of going blind because the deficiency destroys their immune system and makes them vulnerable to diseases."

Agricultural researchers have demonstrated success in an alternative cultivation of sweet potatoes to make them "more orange".

Like plumpy'nut®, orange sweet potatoes could help nourish children with malnutrition.

And how do we get Plumpy'nut®?
By getting involved with WILL WORK FOR FOOD!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Orange sweet potatoes! =)

Food For Thought: "Starved for Attention" | Some of the 195 Million Stories of Malnutrition

2010-11-06T22:42:00.009-04:00

This week in Food for Thought, we will feature an create campaign that Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) launched in early Summer 2010. The purpose of the campaign "Starved for Attention" is to create a multimedia blog that features famous photojournalists from VII Photo Agency while documenting story of malnutrition happening around the world with photography and video.

Currently in the world, there is an estimated 195 million children suffering from malnutrition and 90 percent of them reside in Africa. This campaign of "Starved for Attention" serves as a mean to promote awareness of malnutrition happening in places where we don't usually pay attention to. Each video is composed by short footages and many photographs with voices over. Each video tells a true story that exists in the world right now in this moment.

The blog video that Food for Thought will feature today is "A Mother's Devotion of Burkina Faso" by famous photojournalist, Jessica Dimmock. In this video, a daily life of a mother, Burkina Faso, is shown through a series of photographs and video clips.

This video also shows the dilemma that a mother in Africa commonly faces. She knows that buying fish will help the nutrition of her child and that there are not enough food for the children to eat at home. But Burkina can't buy the fish because if she does and comes home finding her child, she won't have money to buy medicine.

WILL WORK FOR FOOD is continuously dedicated to raising awareness to this global issue and to save undernourished children. All of the money we raise will go to Doctors Without Borders for their nutritional supplies to help save children.

WILL YOU WORK FOR FOOD?

Visit our Get Involved page to sign up, Learn More pages for more information on Malnutrition and Plumpy'nut, or the Donate Now page to make a contribution.

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Food For Thought: Get 'Plummy'Nut'® yet?!

2010-10-26T12:59:00.012-04:00

This week, Food For Thought will share with you some details about Plumpy'Nut®, a "life saver" product, as CBS called it, for malnourished children to improve their health conditions and nutrition.

The Plumpy'nut® product began with a French pediatrician named André Briend and a jar of Nutella. Through some basic formulation, a foil-packeted sticky peanut bar can help to renourish hungry children, according to Andrew Rice, reporter of New York Times, on the article "The Peanut Solution".

Children on a Plumpy’nut® regimen add pounds rapidly, often going from a near-death state to relative health in a month. In the world of humanitarian aid, where progress is usually measured in subtle increments of misery, the new product offers a rare satisfaction: swift, visible, fantastic efficacy.

This not only benefits the children, but also the developing countries. Some of the largest peanut plantations are located in developing countries, and the Plumpy'nut® can just be produced anywhere with a blender.

Despite controversial patent issues, Plumpy'nut® is like a revolutionizing medicine for children that are malnourished.

In an interview with Anderson Cooper on CBS, Dr. Milton Tectonidis, the chief nutritionist for Doctors Without Borders, "It's a revolution in nutritional affairs,"

"Now we have something. It is like an essential medicine. In three weeks, we can cure a kid that is looked like they're half dead. We can cure them just like an antibiotic. It?s just, boom! It's a spectacular response," Dr. Tectonidis says.

"It's the equivalent of penicillin, you?re saying?" Cooper asks.

"For these kids, for sure," the doctor says.

For more information about Anderson Cooper's cover on Plumpy'nut on CBS, please view the following video, 'Miracle' Food Saves Lives.

The next step is to get these wonderful life saver into the hands of children that are malnourished.

And how do we get Plumpy'nut®?
By getting involved with WILL WORK FOR FOOD!

One hundred percent of the money we raise together will help Doctors Without Borders purchase and distribute nutritional supplements, like Plumpy’nut®, to help save malnourished children.

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

High Five From WILL WORK FOR FOOD: Anusha Sthanunathan

2010-10-22T14:39:00.003-04:00

This installment of the High Five features University of Michigan sophomore, Anusha Sthanunathan. Anusha just happens to be WWFF's new Director of Marketing, so consider this an introduction to a very important young lady. She was involved in a service group when she was in high school called Bethania Orphanage, and ever since has been inspired to work for food aid and against poverty and famine. Her dedication to community service led her to WILL WORK FOR FOOD when she got the the University of Michigan and she looks to be a great new member to the headquarters team.

In addition to her philanthropic work, Anusha is a project director for Michigan Advertising and Marketing (MAM), has held marketing internships the past two summers, and is a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi co-ed professional business fraternity. While Anusha is certain to make many lasting memories over the rest of her college career - just look at all of those activities - she has been gracious enough to share with us her Top Five Favorite Memories (as of 10-22-2010):

1) Shooting a shotgun in a shooting range in Vietnam
2) Thinking she was a robot in the 3rd grade and pretending to see numbers in her vision
3) Drinking coffee next to Ashton Kutcher in her hometown of Atlanta
4) Tearing up during her oath in becoming a US citizen last week
5) Visiting a handmade, marble-carved 600-year-old temple in India this past summer

We are so happy to have Anusha as our new Director of Marketing. With her experience with both community service and marketing, she is a perfect fit for the role and we are excited to see what she can accomplish for WILL WORK FOR FOOD. If you would like to try to make a difference with our organization, as well, find out how you can work for food today!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Food For Thought: 1.02 billion people are starving right now.

2010-10-20T13:43:00.004-04:00

Although it has been a while for Food for Thought to share with you a new fact, the World Hunger statistics are still climbing. In this post, we will continue to share with you the newest update on world malnutrition and break them down to you.

According to WorldHunger.Org, "the most recent estimate, released on October 14, 2009 by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), says that 1.02 billion people are undernourished, a sizable increase from its 2006 estimate of 854 million people."

This means that the number of people that are undernourished has climbed about 16.2% in 3 years.

WorldHunger. org continued and outlined three factors that have led to these climbing numbers.

"1) neglect of agriculture relevant to very poor people by governments and international agencies;
2) the current worldwide economic crisis, and
3) the significant increase of food prices in the last several years. "

Out of the current estimate of the world population of 6.8 billion, 15% of the population is suffering from malnutrition.

On that note, here is an inspirational video to raise awareness in World Hunger that we would like to share with you.

What can we do about it?

By WORKING FOR FOOD with us!

WILL WORK FOR FOOD is continuously dedicated to raising awareness to this global issue and to save undernourished children.

All of the money we raise will go to Doctors Without Borders for their nutritional supplies to help save children.

WILL YOU WORK FOR FOOD?

Visit our Get Involved page to sign up, Learn More pages for more information on Malnutrition and Plumpy'nut, or the Donate Now page to make a contribution.

High Five From WILL WORK FOR FOOD: Ben Vollmer

2010-10-12T16:09:00.003-04:00

Though it has been awhile since the last WWFF High Five, that doesn't diminish the work that this edition's focus, Ben Vollmer, has done in North Carolina. Ben is a chapter rep at UNC-Chapel Hill and, along with his friend Peter Helvie - a fellow chapter rep - these two Tar Heels have been working hard to make WILL WORK FOR FOOD a big presence on their campus.

Ben found out about WILL WORK FOR FOOD two years ago, after Peter transferred to UNC from the University of Michigan. Since then, the two have been busy giving presentations and organizing work efforts. Last month, they helped raise over $1,000 in the fight against child malnutrition. The two have even bigger plans in store once they gain university-recognized club status next Spring.

Due to the success that they've already had and will continue to enjoy, it's safe to say that Ben is glad he met Peter. However, Ben has been gracious enough to give us The Five (Other) People He'd Like to Meet:

1) John Lennon

2) David Letterman

3) Sacha Baron Cohen

4) Lance Armstrong

5) Justin Bieber

While that is certainly an entertaining mix of people, we do appreciate everything that Ben (and Peter) do for WILL WORK FOR FOOD. If you would like to make a difference in your community and abroad, as well, all you have to do is get involved and find a group that's close to you!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Bring WILL WORK FOR FOOD to Your Campus-- Become a Rep!

2010-07-12T18:41:00.008-04:00

Are you looking for a way to make a significant difference in both your community and the world? Well, here's your chance to not only get involved, but to work at the ground level of a growing nonprofit. WILL WORK FOR FOOD is now accepting applications for new campus reps for the 2010-2011 school year. If you're a motivated, committed, and compassionate student, then joining WILL WORK FOR FOOD as a campus rep is a great way to bring your campus together for a common cause. It's not a big time commitment: reps spend on average 2-3 hours a week planning promotional events and upcoming work efforts. But that small amount of time makes a huge impact because it is the outstanding service projects organized by our campus reps that make WILL WORK FOR FOOD well... work.

To find out more about becoming a WILL WORK FOR FOOD Campus Rep, click here and apply today!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Event Highlight: UNC at the Piedmont Wildlife Center

2010-05-25T20:17:00.011-04:00

As the school year comes to a close, the WILL WORK FOR FOOD reps continue to organize outstanding work efforts on their campus. Last fall, the WWFF group at UNC-Chapel Hill volunteered at the Piedmont Wildlife Center, a local nature conservatory.

This past Saturday, the group took a break from studying for their finals and returned to the conservatory once again to help the organization kick off their largest event of the year. The WWFF group, although small, was enthusiastic as they helped the Piedmont Wildlife Center run their annual "Celebrate Wildlife" benefit, a popular event that includes live music, animals, food, activities, and educational presentations.

Volunteers worked together to set up the benefit, doing everything from building stages and exhibits, organizing the parking, and cleaning up the grounds. The group has raised $100 so far, but more donations continue to come in.

Thanks, UNC-Chapel Hill for yet another successful work effort!

Do you want to bring the WWFF initiative to your high school or college? Become a Rep today!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

High Five From WILL WORK FOR FOOD: Jon Rubins

2010-05-16T11:27:00.002-04:00

Every other week, our "High Five" features a member of our Headquarters Team and five of his or her favorite things. This installment is focused on Jon Rubins, WILL WORK FOR FOOD’s trusty Web Manager. Jon deals with the day-to-day changes on the website in addition to working with Google Analytics to find ways to improve the site. Jon is not your typical computer guy. Although he is double majoring in aerospace engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan he was a swimming standout in high school and is now a frat boy at U-M.

Jon also has exceptional taste in movies. As the summer blockbuster movie season is upon us, Jon recounts his top five favorite movies for us:

1) Shawshank Redemption – Because Morgan Freeman is the man.

2) Fight Club – Some pretty intense fight scenes.

3) Gladiator – Are you not entertained?

4) The Green Mile – Who doesn’t like Tom Hanks?

5) V for Vendetta – Natalie Portman. Enough said.

The best part about movies is there is always something for everyone, kind of like WILL WORK FOR FOOD. Whether you would like to volunteer in your community, donate to save malnourished kids or help bring WWFF to your school it is always easy to go out and get involved today!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

Rep of the Week: Andrew Hurwitz

2010-05-01T19:38:00.007-04:00

Andrew Hurwitz, a junior at Beth Tfiloh High School in Baltimore, Maryland, has been an exemplary representative for WILL WORK FOR FOOD. He and the other Reps at Beth Tfiloh have already raised over $2,500, and they're not done yet. Despite the busy schedule that comes with a school year's end, the group found the time to organize a food drive which they anticipate to be a huge success. To thank Andrew for the great work he's done for WILL WORK FOR FOOD, we made him this week's Rep of the Week.

Q: Who is your role model?
A: My mom.

Q: If you could meet anyone, who would it be and why?
A: I would love to meet Martin Luther King, Jr. and really experience how incredible of a person he was.

Q: What are your future college plans and career aspirations?
A: Right now, I'm looking at either the University of Pennsylvania or Michigan. As for my career, I really want to go into business.

Q: What else are you involved in at your high school besides WILL WORK FOR FOOD?
A: I'm involved in the business, spirit, sports, and admissions committees at school. I'm on the varsity soccer, basketball, and lacrosse teams, too.

Q: How did you hear about WILL WORK FOR FOOD?
A: I heard about WWFF when I visited the University of Michigan. My friend told me about the organization and I was interested from the start.

Q: Why did you decide to become Rep for WILL WORK FOR FOOD?
A: When I heard about WWFF, I was really impressed with the way WWFF connects local community services with a global effort to fight child malnutrition. I was already involved in many community service programs in my hometown of Baltimore, and I was interested in WWFF's ability to connect my neighborhood projects with global ones.

Q: What kind of work efforts have you organized at your high school?
A: So far we've taught basketball to an inner-city grade school. In the future, we plan on having a canned food drive.

Q: If you could describe WILL WORK FOR FOOD in one word, what would it be?
A: Community. I really love the way WWFF make the entire world one big community.

Want to become a Rep like Andrew? Check out our Become a Rep page and bring WILL WORK FOR FOOD to your school!

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."

CGI U and Letter to President Clinton

2010-04-26T23:32:00.009-04:00

Steve Weinberg (Co-Founder and CEO), Natalie Fratto (Director of Marketing), Robbie Dembo (Director of Community Outreach) and Matt Woelfel (Director of Operations) recently returned from the Clinton Global Initiative for Universities (CGI U) conference in Miami, Florida.

The weekend was a huge success for WILL WORK FOR FOOD as the team made all types of connections across the nonprofit world. Check out some photos from CGI U.

Steve had an opportunity to speak with President Clinton about WILL WORK FOR FOOD at CGI U and President Clinton asked that he follow up with more information.

Read Steve's letter below...

Dear President Clinton,

Thank you for yet another energizing and powerful CGI U experience. I have attended CGI U every year and each conference has been tremendously helpful.

At the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust we spoke briefly about my commitment, WILL WORK FOR FOOD, and you asked that I follow up with some more information about our initiative. I think this is a story you will appreciate.

Before delving into WILL WORK FOR FOOD, I have an invitation to extend to you. On behalf of the University of Michigan, I would like to invite you to join us as a keynote speaker for the University of Michigan’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps on October 13, 14 or 15, 2010. University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, a coalition of University departments, the Brookings Institution and the National Peace Corps Association are planning the event to celebrate President John F. Kennedy’s introduction of the concept of the Peace Corps on the steps of the University of Michigan Union on October 14, 1960. President Coleman has sent a formal invitation to you that expands upon this extremely exciting event and its importance to the University Community.

Just as President Kennedy’s speech inspired University of Michigan students to help work towards the founding of the Peace Corps, the inspiration for me to start WILL WORK FOR FOOD came from the speech you gave at the University of Michigan 2007 commencement when you spoke of the need for “21st Century Global Citizens.” I was a sophomore at the time and your call to action moved me to help find a way to connect local community service to international relief efforts. In your list of challenges facing my generation you included malnutrition while also mentioning the continuing need to help our own local communities. The seed had been planted for the WILL WORK FOR FOOD “Volunteering locally to save children globally” initiative.

Students volunteer in their community and ask friends and family members to sponsor this work with a donation. The money raised helps our partners, Doctors Without Borders, deliver Plumpy’nut and similar life-saving Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food to severely malnourished children. This is all orchestrated through www.willworkforfood.org which serves as a social networking and fundraising tool.

When I attended CGI U in New Orleans, WILL WORK FOR FOOD was nothing more than an ambitious but unfocused idea. By the time I attended CGI U in Austin we had fine-tuned our model and held a soft launch at the University of Michigan that raised over $5,000 in approximately two months. A conversation with Blake Mycoskie in Austin helped us figure out how to expand WILL WORK FOR FOOD to other campuses. With the support of a grant from the University of Michigan Office of the President we began introducing our initiative to 20 high schools and colleges around the country. To date, we have raised over $30,000 with an additional $20,000 of donations coming in by the end of May from schools in Toledo, Ohio and Baltimore, Maryland.

CGI U in Miami was perhaps the most helpful yet. Patrick O’Heffernan, one of the skill session leaders from Socialedge.org, spent an hour and a half with me between sessions critiquing our website and making suggestions for improvement. I was also able to connect with staff from GlobeMED and STAND and will be talking to them this week to learn more about their student-led models so we can borrow ideas as we refine our efforts on other campuses. During the CGI U Exchange we were able to introduce our initiative to hundreds of students from campuses around the world. Most excitingly, you and I had a chance to connect and you asked that I send along more information about our work.

Every year CGI U catapults WILL WORK FOR FOOD forward with fresh ideas and connections. Thank you for creating these CGI U experiences and continuing to be such an inspiration to my generation of student leaders. It would be an absolute honor if you can join us in our celebration of the Peace Corps or if you have any suggestions or opportunities for WILL WORK FOR FOOD.

Sincerely,

Steven Weinberg
Co-Founder and CEO

If you want to know every time WILL WORK FOR FOOD posts something new to our blog, email willworkforfoodblog@gmail.com with the subject line "Sign me up."