In these tough economic times, it’s easy to forget how well off most of us are. About half of the world’s population lives in poverty and over a billion people live in extreme poverty. With the stock market down and economic turmoil here in the United States, many are feeling scared and unsure about their own financial situation. One of the best ways to take some control and make a difference is to help others. Today is Blog Action Day 08 – Poverty, where thousands of bloggers come together to advocate for a cause, and this time the theme is reducing poverty.

A core effect of poverty is hunger and since this is a food blog, I got to thinking about ways to help people fight hunger and feed the world’s poor. We are also a start-up, so I thought it would be a great combo to promote some of the food entrepreneurs on the micro-lending site Kiva.org. Check out the interesting folks I found below and consider making a small loan to help people pull themselves up from poverty. Even $25 can make a difference!

Possibly Related Posts:

• National Day of Action Join Slow Food USA
• Hunger Awareness Week Day 2
• Hunger Awareness Week Day 1
• Fries with that?
• Ethiopia

Calling all philanthropic wordsmiths! Channel your inner Merriam-Webster and fill rice bowls for the hungry. FreeRice.com, sister site of Poverty.com, and in participation with the United Nation’s World Food Programme, has developed a fun, educational vocabulary game that helps combat global hunger.

How to play: Remember those multiple choice vocabulary tests back in grade school? Only this time it’s fun! When you choose the correct definition you move to the next level and get a harder word. And, it does get harder. Get it wrong, and you get an easier word.

What you win: For each word you get right, FreeRice will donate 20 grains of rice to the World Food Programme (WFP). But wait, there’s more! You also win increased intelligence, the admiration of your friends and the ability to interpolate big words into your tête-à-tête whilst committing sacerdotal deeds.

Just to let you know:

• FreeRice is completely non-profit
• The rice is paid for by advertisers on their site
• The WFP is not only helping to feed the hungry in over 75 nations, but teaching them how to be self-reliant in order to escape hunger for good
• You can download a banner and link to FreeRice.com from your website

Help spread the word about the World Food Programme’s campaign to end world hunger.

Possibly Related Posts:

• National Day of Action Join Slow Food USA
• Hunger Awareness Week Day 2
• Hunger Awareness Week Day 1
• Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty
• Fries with that?