CHICAGO, Illinois — The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated there are about 828 million hungry people in the world. Additionally, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned of the 828 million people, 345 million suffered from acute hunger in the summer of 2022.
The solution to world hunger requires extreme action. The Weeknd, Kate Hudson, Michale Kors, Hugh Jackman, Patricia Heaton, Meghan Markle and Eyal Booker are all celebrity ambassadors of humanitarian organizations that provide food and nutritional equity to the world’s most impoverished regions.
Celebrity Ambassadors Improving Food Equity
- The Weeknd – The famous Canadian singer is more than willing to lend his voice besides performing around the world to his millions of fans. The Weeknd is a renowned Goodwill celebrity ambassador of the WFP, which provides food assistance and improves nutrition worldwide. He created a fund with the WFP that would help feed 44 million people and invested $500,000 of his own money to establish the XO humanitarian fund. The fund serves as emergency assistance to people suffering from chronic hunger.
- Patricia Heaton – Emmy award-winning actor Patricia Heaton prioritizes both her and the world’s nutritional health. She became the founding member of the World Vision Celebrity Ambassador Network and traveled to Zambia to sponsor a child. Furthermore, Patricia Heaton traveled to Rwanda and Kenya to raise awareness about hunger and the lack of access to clean water in the two countries. Lastly, she and her husband pledged $1 million to the World Vision organization, which will empower people to escape poverty and hunger.
- Michale Kors – One of this generation’s most famous fashion designers, Michale Kors, has more to offer the world than a new style. As a celebrity ambassador of the WFP, Michael Kors contributed to helping feed the world’s poor. Michael Kors donated all profits from every “LOVE” T-shirt of the Watch the Hunger campaign to children that the WFP supports. Lastly, Michael Kors created an Instagram filter and for every person who shared the filter or posted about the T-shirt, the fashion icon donated another 50 meals to the WFP.
- Hugh Jackman – Famously known for playing the action hero of Wolverine, Hugh Jackman’s feats go beyond the ones of his fictional character. When he first traveled to Ethiopia in 2009, he recounted his experience of realizing the country’s economic realities. He met a coffee farmer working with the World Vision organization to get his family out of poverty. The actor soon discovered Ethiopia’s need for more diversity in exporting with external partners. Thus, he decided to start Laughing Man Coffee and Tea in 2011 to provide a marketplace for farmers in developing countries to sell their goods to U.S. consumers. The project is successful and supports many educational programs and social entrepreneurs worldwide.
- Meghan Markle – Besides acting and being the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle is a well-known humanitarian worldwide. In 2016, she participated in the World Vision Global Celebrity Ambassador program and traveled to Rwanda, where she saw how more than 57,000 people need access to clean water. Consequently, she helped with the funding and raised awareness to bring clean water to the 57,000 Rwandan people. Additionally, she taught children in a local community how to water paint from the pipeline constructed.
- Kate Hudson – The actress is a role model for girls everywhere, on and off the big screen. She supported the mission of the WFP since joining in 2015 with the Watch Hunger Stop campaign as a celebrity ambassador. The actress advocated against hunger through the campaign and raised funds for WFP’s school meals program. As a Goodwill Ambassador, she visited Cambodia to raise awareness and traveled to help feed the locals in person.
- Eyal Booker – The reality celebrity uses his fame to help those in need. Eyal Booker rebuilt houses in the Philippines after the typhoon and assisted with relief efforts. As he traveled to the Philippines to provide kitchen sets and shelter relief. Lastly, he created friendly spaces to help with the children’s mental health state.
Providing Support and Raising Awareness
The world hunger crisis is extensive and damaging to people’s development. Fortunately, many organizations received support from celebrities that serve as celebrity ambassadors and raise awareness for people in poverty who longed for a helping hand.
– Andres Valencia
Photo: Flickr