Each year the United States is praised when they donate $62 million to Africa and yet that cost makes up .03% of what American consumers spend on holiday gifts. If every family cut their spending in half and donated that money instead to a foundation such as the World Food Programme (WFP) or UNICEF, America could provide basics like food, clean water, medical supplies and relief to nearly 3 million children and families living in poverty around the world for a whole year. The numbers are real and so is the suffering of millions of starving children around the world.

 
           Though nothing is wrong with expressing how much you care for friends and family through gifts, there are more reasons to cut back this year than a confused economy. The average American spends 800 dollars on gifts and decorations every year. With a population exceeding 300 million, it easy to solve this equation: $240 billion every December is more than something to be ashamed of.

There is more than hope for change though. According to a national service by the Center for a New American Dream, 70% of Americans would welcome less emphasis on gift giving and spending. Yet every year as Christmas rolls around, Americans find themselves saying, next year. Maybe.  Around the world, a child dies of hunger every six seconds. There is no time to waste in the fight against hunger, because for most of these children next year won’t come.

Thankfully there are hundreds of ways to create the momentum needed for a great change in this country and each one of us can add more power. Buy cheap, buy less or don’t buy at all this holiday season. Donate a few dollars here and there and, a difference will be made. Spread awareness to friends. Send links on Facebook. Do the small things now that can change lives in the future.

After researching and finding such disheartening truths about our country’s involvement with world hunger, I have personally donated one dollar to the WFP in the name of each person I know on Facebook that I believe will help me to spread the message of giving this Christmas. Though $56 dollars isn’t much, it is a start and hopefully someone who reads this article will be inspired to also donate and tell their friends about the cause. Maybe I won’t be able to get all my friends nice gifts now, but with this money I will fill 224 cups with a meal of porridge, rice, or beans for starving children somewhere in this world.