Menu for Hope Six

The Menu for Hope annual fundraiser has begun. The campaign was started five years ago by Chez Pim in response to the tsunami in Southeast Asia. She wanted to do something to help and has since hosted Menu for Hope every year with other food bloggers. In just the past three years, they've raised nearly $250,000, $10 at a time.

The idea is simple, but brilliant. Food bloggers from around the world offer amazing food-related items in a raffle that you bid on. The money goes to the UN World Food Program, the largest food aid agency in the world, feeding hungry people and helping them become more self-reliant. Money is collected by a third-party site, First Giving, who handle the collections and send the money to the World Food Program. For more information about Menu for Hope and the World Food Program and the kinds of programs this campaign supports, check out Chez Pim's site.

Prizes are donated by bloggers and come from all over the world. This year, I bid on everything from photo equipment (a camera bag and a light set), to food treats (a spectacular vanilla basket, Japanese delicacies, a giant chocolate sampler), to a couple of food photography classes and even this groovy sculpture made by Food Woolf (I can see that one hanging in my kitchen). Truly, the prizes were so tempting, it was hard to rein myself in. Tickets are $10 each and with each ticket you get a chance to win one item.



Check it out and place your bid today. It's such a fun way to do some good in the world.