Free education and free rice

Learn and donate together online!

Did you know that you could expand your knowledge of art, literature, math, geography, Spanish, and other subjects online while you are helping hungry people? Sounds too good to be true, but it is. 

The nonprofit website www.freerice.com is the place to go. There you can decide which of the topics you wish to be tested on (always multiple choice) or learn more about. And while you are learning, you can watch the kernels of rice piling up in the bowl on your right as they are being donated to the United Nations World Food Programme. Ten grains of rice are donated for each correct answer; you can check for the total number of grains of rice donated per day, month, and year—or join with a group or keep track of your own scores.

Join the Free Rice movement on Facebook at www.facebook.com/freerice

Hunger, land, and consumption

"Hunger can eat us alive, reduce us to being imprisoned in our bodies where sleep, movement, and all thoughts revolve around the next time we will have food to eat. Hunger can be a devouring addiction. Originally, the word consumption referred to a disease; now it is an economic and personal characteristic of our culture. We are often referred to as consumers. In the last one hundred years, we have devoured so much of the earth and its resources that we are stealing food and sustenance out of the mouths of our children and grandchildren, while we live without any compunction about the gulfs between those who are rich and those who are poor. The United Nations defines the rich as 'those who have more than enough to survive on today. That defines many of us."

   

This begins the chapter titled “Food and Land” in the book This Will be Remembered of Her: Stories of Women Reshaping the World by Megan McKenna. It’s a powerful book which speaks to many justice and peace issues, written by a woman who is a storyteller, theologian, speaker, spiritual writer, retreat leader, peace and justice activist, world traveler, and author of more than thirty books. The interweaving of ancient stories from many cultures with stories of women from scripture to Nobel prize winners will keep you reading, underlining (if it’s your copy!), and recommending the book to many others.

Who says consumption is not a disease today?