I spend every day thinking about food: what to cook, what to write about, how to edit someone's cookbook, how to teach others to cook...and the list goes on. But there are plenty of people in the world (and some right here in Sacramento) who don't have the luxury of enough food every day. So I thought I'd highlight a local organization that is trying to reduce food insecurity in the world.

Freedom from Hunger is a non-profit organization based out of Davis. They aim to bring "sustainable and self-help solutions to the fight against hunger and poverty." The group began in 1946 as Meals for Millions and eventually evolved to offer microcredit, health, and nutrition education programs internationally. Microcredit works by providing small loans to poor women so that they can begin businesses to help them earn enough money to provide for themselves and their families. (Similarly, Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh won last year's Nobel Peace Prize for founding a bank that offers microloans to entrepreneurs. This concept of lending as little as $50 to someone who would otherwise never be able to get or even afford a regular bank loan, is extremely successful in poor countries.)

This Friday, September 28, is the 2nd annual Freedom from Hunger Day, and it has been declared an official day of awareness by the state of California. You can join others online from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to chat with FFH staff members and loan recipients who have benefited from the Freedom from Hunger programs. You could also host a viewing party for the new DVD "Ending Hunger for Good." And FFH offers a list of "10 ways you can end global hunger," including very easy suggestions like:

• Look for the "fair trade" label on foods such as chocolate and coffee (although make sure to read the recent Bee article on Starbucks first!)
  
• Skip one latte or muffin or other food treat each week and send the money instead to a charity like Freedom from Hunger that helps the hungry to help themselves
  

This isn't a guilt trip, just a chance for each of us to think more about what we have and what we can share. And maybe it will remind us to appreciate having plentiful high-quality food rather than bemoaning the price of luxuries like French chocolate (one of my favorites) or wine.