If we’ve learnt anything from celebrity fundraisers, it’s that fame can be used for good. Hollywood celebs can pull in big money by just being at a fundraiser. Their presence alone can help improve the lives of those less fortunate than them.
The No Kid Hungry fundraiser designed by Williams-Sonoma isn’t any different. Boasting a roster of powerful celebrities like Ina Garten, Giada de Laurentiis and Scarlet Johansson, No Kid Hungry is ending child hunger with many known celebrities as partner.
For her part, Scarlet Johansson has designed spatulas with a quirky red and pink print of her lips alongside an equally dazzling “Made with Love” phrase written on it. The idea, according to The Avengers star herself, was to create merchandize with elaborative yet simple designs that can draw people in. “I wanted to create something that was attractive to purchase,” said Scarlett in an interview to Us Weekly about the product line.
Navigating the crowded landscape of charity organizations can feel like a slippery slope sometimes, which is why celebrities like Scarlet are gravitating toward programs like No Kid Hunger that promises transparency and provides clear goals and objectives for volunteers and donors.
A moderate 30 percent of all proceeds from the sales will go to No Kid Hungry, which says that it wants to ‘connect every kid with ten healthy meals’.
The Statistics are Staggering
.S puts forth an even more disturbing number at 15.5 million malnourished kids. These staggering statistics are bursting the myth of the American dream that has drastically turned into the American nightmare for many people living below poverty line.
As the trend of state-wide poverty continues to affect several regions in the United States, No Kid Hungry looks like it’s doing a good job. It has so far raised $5.5 million to fight rampant hunger. “We’ve sold 50,000+ spatulas to help connect kids with over 1.5 million meals,” says Williams-Sonoma on their website.
The United States is incidentally one of the world’s most affected regions when it comes to childhood poverty rates, only slumping behind the likes of Mexico, Turkey, and Greece in this regard. The statistics paint a very grim picture, one that now requires the attention and intervention from celebrities, charity organizations, and governmental agencies.
But Is No Kid Hungry Actually Working?
Connecting the global crisis of food with human emotion can go a long way with regards to raising money. Many skeptics of the program believe that it is milling human compassion to lobby for costly government programs that create a ‘welfare’ class, conditioned to become permanently dependent on whoever gives the most handouts.
However, this perspective is countered by the hard facts put forward by No Kid Hungry and their campaign partner Williams-Sonoma. This isn’t to say that many people don’t have polarizing opinions about the topic. Do you believe that programs like No Kid Hungry are solving the problem, or making it more ingrained in the United States?
Join the discussion in the comments below.