As schools reopen around the country, they could take a page out of the “greatest generation’s” lesson plan — and help save the world.
In 1946, a year after the end of World War II, Europe and Asia were still reeling from the devastation of that conflict. War always leads to food shortages, and millions of people in countries torn apart by the world’s biggest war were headed toward starvation as famine loomed.
President Harry Truman called upon all Americans to help avert global famine. The president said in a radio address in April 1946: “Now we cannot ignore the cry of hungry children. Surely we will not turn our backs on the millions of human beings begging for just a crust of bread. The warm heart of America will respond to the greatest threat of mass starvation in the history of mankind.”
Schools nationwide were part of that heroic response. Baltimore schools collected donations for famine relief. Maryland schools held a “food plank for peace” essay contest; students wrote about the importance of feeding the hungry around the world.
The Washington Post reported that contest winner David Shafferman of Coral Hills, Maryland, wrote: “It’s American to share. Certainly, as a nation that has become a leader, we should share our food with the other starving countries.”
Junior high school students in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, went door to door collecting funds for famine relief, the Hartford Courant reported. In Boston, students were asked to encourage their families to conserve food to prevent waste.
In Chicago, public schools were a collecting point for food donations for overseas relief. The Tribune reported that Oak Park and River Forest High School students collected $2,400 worth of food to feed children in Europe. Students at Tilden High School in Chicago fundraised to send a cow to a famine-stricken country through the charity Heifer International.
The greatest generation’s students contributed to the effort to save hundreds of millions of lives worldwide from starvation.
Today, we are faced with the biggest hunger crisis since the end of World War II. Conflict, climate change and the pandemic led to increasing hunger at the start of this year, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine only worsened the hunger crisis, with more people now needing aid.
According to the United Nations World Food Program, “the number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared — from 135 million to 345 million — since 2019. A total of 50 million people in 45 countries are teetering on the edge of famine.”
There are children starving in civil war-torn Yemen. Families in East Africa are walking for days hoping to find food in the drought-ravaged countries of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. The Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Syria, South Sudan and many other countries are suffering from severe hunger.
Students can hold events such as basketball free throw contests, races or raffles to raise funds and awareness for global hunger relief. Students can use the Charity Miles app to raise funds for the World Food Program, Save the Children, Feeding America and UNICEF. They can write letters to Congress and the president about the importance of feeding the hungry.
The online trivia game FreeRice is a great resource for students to learn about and take action against hunger. Every correct answer while playing FreeRice leads to a donation to the World Food Program by the game’s sponsors. Schools could even create FreeRice teams and have matches. Colleges, including multiple schools in Texas, have created FreeRice teams and held tournaments.
This school year can be one of being a global citizen and saving lives from famine.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
William Lambers partnered with the United Nations World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger” and volunteered to write the Hunger Heroes section of FreeRice.
