Congratulations to Huffington Post on its tenth anniversary! Last August, just before the birth of my daughter Summer, you invited me to share my story on a subject very close to my heart - ending world hunger. I'm so grateful for that opportunity and thank you to the many Huffington Post readers who passed my story on.
Since 2009 after the birth of my son Max, I knew I had to do something to help other children and families around the world and that's when I became a volunteer Ambassador Against Hunger with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as well as volunteer spokesperson for Yum! Brands' World Hunger Relief effort. It's more than my story though, it's the story of millions of children and families around the world who need our help.
Last year, many of you joined me in sharing #PasstheRedCup to raise awareness for the global hunger crisis -- 805 million people, many of them children, go to bed hungry each night. And that red cup is a symbol of the meal millions of children will get through a WFP school feeding program.
Together we created a movement and millions of dollars were raised to support WFP programs. Since 2007, Yum!'s World Hunger Relief campaign has raised $600 million in cash and food donations, providing 2.4 billion nutritious meals for women and children around the globe.
The thing is, we have so much more to do.
I've visited WFP relief sites in Rwanda, Haiti and Guatemala. I've seen first hand the need. The sense of desperation in a mother's eyes as she holds her hungry child. I've also seen the joy. The faces of mothers and their children light up as they're served a meal through WFP. I've felt the joy that comes from handing a meal to a child who has no idea who I am, she simply smiles in appreciation of the meal I'm serving her. The meals that these children get might be the only food they eat all day.
It's a life changing experience to feed a hungry child. And we all have the power to do it. There is enough food in the world to feed everyone. If we all give a little more time and money, we can end global hunger as we know it. My greatest hope is that ten years from now, we can look back with pride knowing that the world came together to finally eliminate hunger.
I want my children, Max and Summer, to always appreciate what they have, but also to understand they have a role in helping our fellow citizens around the world to the basic need of food. I'd love for them to stumble upon this article and other hunger relief stories a decade from now and see that there is an end to world hunger.
"It's a life changing experience to feed a hungry child. And we all have the power to do it."
I know we can do it! Please help by donating whatever you can to the World Hunger Relief campaign at HungertoHope.com. Share this story with your friends and family and encourage them to get involved. Do what you can in your local communities to help combat hunger. Together, let's move the world from hunger to hope!
This post is part of a series commemorating The Huffington Post's 10 Year Anniversary through expert opinions looking forward to the next decade in their respective fields. To see all of the posts int he series, read here.