clever title.

so, it's pretty obvious that i'm a compassion sponsor. i've talked about my sponsored child before. i've got that cute little banner up top, and one on the side.

i just got an e-mail about something they're up to now.

apparently, march 11th is GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS DAY. the e-mail is informative, and very "to the point" so there's no reason for me to summarize it. i'll just copy and paste the text. but before i do, let me just say:

don't stop reading. don't disregard this as a boring blog entry. i'll return to the usual insanity later. i've got a post in mind about a dream i recently had...a trip to greece and a haunted house. actually, that's pretty much the deal with that dream.

moving on.

i love compassion. there are a lot of things i hate: traffic, sun in my eyes, winter, being "fashionably late", small pieces of chewing gum, seaweed, etc. i'm easily annoyed. but compassion never annoys me. their e-mails always fill me with, well, compassion for hurting people in the world. aptly named! it's like that pizza place i recently ate from in east nashville. it's just called "it's a pizza!"

so that's why i'm saying don't just ignore this post. it's so easy to go to dinner and have conversations about what's wrong in the world, but i want to be better about doing something. it's so easy to get on board with whatever compassion does. they've been around. they make a real difference.

anyway...

WHAT IS GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS DAY?
Compassion International is partnering with radio stations, media, churches and bloggers to spread the word about the Global Food Crisis and raise funds that will make a real difference to those impacted by it.

WHY IS THE CRISIS?
Overshadowed by recent political and financial economic news, the UN World Food Programme calls the current global food crisis “a phenomenon, a silent tsunami,” that is affecting millions of families in every nation on every continent. This global food crisis is more rapid, urgent and devastating than any other in the history of our planet.

WHY IS THE CRISIS HAPPENING?
The cost of food staples have roughly doubled in many countries where Compassion serves. Some of the original factors that turned this trend into a world calamity recently include unstable oil prices, increased meat consumption in countries like India and China, droughts in major crop-producing countries, and increased production of biofuels.

WHAT DOES THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS FUND DO?
- Provides food vouchers to children and families needing immediate relief.
- Provides seeds and agricultural tools so that families can grow their own food as well as earn extra income.
- Provides supplemental nutrition services at Compassion-assisted centers around the world.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Official Global Food Crisis Day page: http://www.compassion.com/please
- Compassion International's blog has several excellent posts on the Global Food Crisis: http://blog.compassion.com/tag/global-food-crisis

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
- Visit http://www.compassion.com/please to learn more about the Global Food Crisis and donate to Compassion's Global Food Crisis Fund.
- Add a Global Food Crisis widget to your blog sidebar or posts: http://share-compassion.org/gfc/