Friends of the World Food Program

Candlelit Vigil in Atlanta Shines Light on Hunger

Volunteer Stacey Doremus spoke about hunger in Peru.

According to WFP Committee volunteer Ivano Newbill, the vigil served as one more step toward filling the gap in media coverage about world hunger. “Twenty-five thousand people are dying every day [of hunger],” he says, yet hunger rarely makes headlines.

About WFP Committees
The WFP Committee of Atlanta is part of a volunteer program from Friends of the World Food Program (Friends of WFP), a U.S.-based, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that focuses on building support in the United States for the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and other hunger relief operations.

WFP Committees bring together groups of passionate, dedicated volunteers to organize local fundraisers, build public awareness and advocate toward the goal of ending global hunger.

Raising Awareness
According to Newbill, that goal is within our reach – if we work together. “It’s going to take a global effort,” he says.

At the vigil, members of the WFP Committee of Atlanta took turns at the mike to give brief updates on hunger in Ethiopia, Darfur, Bosnia, Haiti, North Korea and Tajikistan. Stacey Doremus addressed the situation in Peru, where she visited WFP operations in March 2009, and Anubhav “Andy” Srivaspava shared details about India, his home country.

For Sherrod, the information was eye-opening. “I thought about what Andy said when he shared how a village in India never had electricity, and the low birth rates and mental developmental delays of children due to no food,” she says.

Having volunteered for children before, Sherrod immediately realized the positive impact good nutrition could have on their development. “Our children the world over are our future,” she says.

Ready for Change
One by one, candles were lit, as the music of “Light Your World,” by Kathy Troccoli, played in the cool spring air.

After attending the vigil, Sherrod was determined to “participate in the solution” to world hunger.

“We must remember we were given the spirit of courage, not fear,” Sherrod says, “to assist where we can and remember who gets the glory.”

Newbill says it is gratifying to raise awareness with just one person, because it will have a ripple effect. “We’re just trying to do one thing at a time so that people know about global hunger and the effect that it does have,” he says.

The WFP Committee of Atlanta welcomed participation from Congressman John Lewis’ outreach coordinator, Jared McKinley, and would like to extend special thanks to Georgia Capitol Police Officer Russell Baldwin for providing security during the event.