Menu for Hope 4, it's that time of year again

I can hardly believe that a whole year has passed since we raised the whopping $62,925.12 to support the UN World Food Programme last December. Time really does fly.

Anyway, it's that time of year again for me to remind you that Menu for Hope is approaching, this would be our fourth annual campaign, and we do hope you join us.

You don't know what Menu for Hope is? What, you've been living in the mountains somewhere, cut off from the food blog world? Well, fret not, here's a list of frequently asked questions to answer your every query. Read it and join us! (If you're on Facebook, join us there too.)

What is Menu for Hope?
When will this year's campaign take place?
Who is the beneficiary of this year's campaign?
Who collects the money?
How can I help?
I'm a blogger
I'm a restaurateur, author or food/wine producer/seller
I'm a food blog reader or a food lover

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Menu for Hope?
Menu for Hope is an annual fundraising hosted by me, Pim Techamuanvivit, here on my food blog Chez Pim. Five years ago, the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia inspired me to find a way to help, and the very first Menu for Hope was born. The campaign has since become a yearly affair, raising funds to support worthy causes worldwide. In 2006, Menu for Hope raised US$62,925.12 to help the UN World Food Programme feed the hungry.

For two weeks every December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle. Anyone – and that means you too - can buy raffle tickets to bid on these prizes. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of their choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.

When will this year's campaign take place?
December 10-21.

Who is the beneficiary of this year's campaign?
Once again we've chosen to work with the UN World Food Programme. WFP is the world’s largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good.

With a special permission from the WFP, the funds raised by Menu for Hope 4 will be earmarked for the school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. We chose to support the school lunch program because providing food for the children not only keeps them alive, but keeps them in school so that they learn the skills to feed themselves in the future. We chose to support the program in Lesotho because it is a model program in local procurement - buying food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. Instead of shipping surplus corn across the ocean, the WFP is buying directly from local subsistent farmers who practice conservation farming methods in Lesotho to feed the children there.

Who collects the money?
Certainly not me, nor is it the other bloggers participating on the campaign. We know our readers trust us, but we also want to be completely transparent in our fundraising. So, we use a very good online fundraising company called Firstgiving, who has worked with us since the first Menu for Hope years ago.

Donors can make an online donation with a credit card. Firstgiving collects and processes the payments and, at the end of the campaign, transfers the donations in one lump sum to the WFP. This is a win-win situation for all parties involved. The bloggers never touch the money. The WFP don't waste overheads on processing mini-donations, the majority of which were between $10-$50, that's a whole lot of tenners to make up 60K. Firstgiving does all the work and collects a small fee, which include the credit card processing charges.

Last year, Firstgiving gave back 1% of the total amount raised in lieu of a discount on their processing fee. Thank you Firstgiving, we appreciate it very much!

Here is this year's FirstGiving fundraising page for Menu for Hope 4: http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope4

How can you help?

If you are a blogger:
Participate in Menu for Hope 4 by hosting a raffle prize or by promoting Menu for Hope on your blog. The prize you offer need not be of high monetary value, but it should appeal to your readership. A small rule of thumb we'd like to suggest is that each prize offered should have the potential to raise at least $200. That means, don't offer a prize unless you are pretty sure you could get at least twenty of your readers to donate $10 for a raffle ticket toward that prize.

Please do not solicit prizes from restaurants or producers whom you do not know. A big part of our success in prior years came from the personal connections between bloggers, food producers/restaurateurs/authors, and the readers who donate to the campaign. Basically, if they know your name, it's ok. If you pick up the phone and introduce yourself and the person at the other end of the line goes "huh?", you shouldn't be asking them.

Each blogger is also responsible for shipping their prize to the winning donor. Make sure you have enough in your budget to cover shipping. It's important that you specify where your shipping area will cover when you offer the prize.

Bloggers who do not offer a prize can also participate by becoming a Menu for Hope supporter. Use our banner on your blog. Link to us. Post about us. If you have ads space on your blog, consider using one of them to display our ads, or consider using our Menu for Hope ads as a backup for your unsold inventory. (Logos, banners, and ads are up here, more will be added soon.)

Forward this post to all other bloggers you know so they can participate too.

Contact you corresponding regional host for more details.

UK
Johanna of The Passionate Cook and Jeanne of Cooksister
Europe
Fanny of Food Beam
US: West Coast
Bee of Rasa Malaysia
US: Central
Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen
US: East Coast
Adam Kuban of Slice NY and Serious Eats
Canada
Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess
Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand
Helen of Grab Your Fork

and, last but not least, our special Wine Blog Host
Alder of Vinography

If you are a restaurateur, author or food producers/sellers:
Consider offering your products and services as raffle prizes. If you have a corportate blog, you can host the prize yourself. If you don’t, find a food blogger to host your prize. If you don't know any, contact me, I'll see what I can do.

If you are a food blog reader or a food lover:
Come back to Chez Pim on Monday December 10 when the campaign goes online. You can browse our amazing array of prizes by type, or find a prize near you by searching by region. Bid on as many prizes as you'd like. Buy raffle tickets as holiday gifts to your loved ones. Just come back and check us out on December 10. Help us help the WFP end world hunger.

Comments

[Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy]

Yay! I've been planning all year to out-do my last year's offering. :)

[Lydia]

Pim, I'll be happy to donate ad space on my blog!

[Rivka]

I'm a rookie blogger and this'll be my first time advertising menu for hope -- can't wait to participate!

[elarael]

Hey, that's a great game in your advertisements: FREE RICE.
Very fun, and educational. I will play often. I want to know now how many grains of rice are in one pound! I played until I had 800 grains of rice and got to level 44, not bad, but now I have some great incentive to improve.

[Laurent]

Hey Pim,

that's such a great idea. I will be happy to participate by promoting the campaign on my blog and also buying raffle tickets.

[GG Mora]

I'll happily put up a selection of my goods for the raffle (and promote the campaign on my blog). I'll watch this space for the details.

[Dagmar]

I can't wait to start. I've been searching for my planned prize to Menu for hope IV since New Year's Eve and I finally have found and bought everything now.

[Kung Foodie Kat]

I've been so waiting for this! Pim, when is the deadline for submitting a raffle prize? Or is there one?

[Sean]

Count me in again!

[Loren]

Pim, Count me in! I'd be happy to share some ad space on my blog for Menu for Hope.

[Claire]

The cookthinkers are in! Can't wait to get more details.

[barbara]

I've been looking for the announcement. I won't be able to donate this year but I'll be buying plenty of tickets. Good luck.

[Deb Schiff]

Hey Pim,

Great job! I'll be happy to post an ad on both my blogs. Just let me know when this year's graphic will be available. :)

John and I also plan instead of gifts to donate to Menu for Hope 4 (as we have done in the past).

d.

[Faith Kramer]

Count me and blog appetit in with my food writer's book resource package.

[Derek]

Will the code for the banner ads be posted here or another post?

[arfi]

I'd be happy to participate again, Pim. Thanks for the newsletter. Cheers, Arfi B.

[Niamh]

Fantastic, you're to be applauded. I shall be sure to put the graphic up once it's available.

[Anita]

apologies if I missed a post or a newsletter -- are the regional hosts announced yet? We're definitely in again. :)

[A scientist in the kitchen]

Count me in! I'll be donating a prize from here in the Philippines.

[kitchenmage]

Thanks for leading us in our quest to feed the world, Pim! I think I figured out what I am donating this year.

[Ley]

This is my first year blogging during Menu for Hope, and I'd love to participate or help out in any way! Is there a US:South, or should I just assign myself to East or Central?

[Emily Winemonger]

Hi Pim-
Count winemonger.com in for two prizes this year:
1. A flight of 3 bottles of Ice Wine
2. A flight of 3 bottles of Gruner Veltliner

yay!

[Anita]

Hi, Pim --

I'm working on my draft prize-announcement posts so I can publish them at midnight on 12/10 -- is there a link to the Firstgiving donation/entry page yet?

[Laurie Gauguin]

I'm happy to be a part of this campaign. Thank you for organizing this, Pim! I just downloaded the MFH banner to my blog.

[swirlingnotions]

Fantastic, Pim. What a wonderful campaign! I'll get a banner going on Swirling Notions and put up a kicker of a bottle of wine for the raffle . . . thanks for organizing!

[Babeth]

Thank you for organizing it.
Count me in! I already contacted Fanny to be part of it :-)

[charlotte s]

what a wonderful way to have foodbloggers/readers involved in the world!!! i'm a new foodblog-reader, so this will be my first year participating (with tickets)... thanks so much for organizing this...

[african vanielje]

Pim, I hope this year does as well as last year. I have donated a custom designed and made wedding cake valued at £500-£600 pounds. Unfortunately shipping is not easy so this is restricted to certain areas of the UK. Good Luck!

[Hillary]

This is my first time hearing about the Menu for Hope. It's such a great cause! Thanks for promoting it.

[Rethabile]

Just wanted to say "thank you" for the children.

[Rethabile]

Just wanted to say "thank you" for the children.