Spare us a grain of rice: Chez Pim charity drive

While most of us are fortunate to be able to view food as a delight, an indulgence, or even an intellectual pursuit, many others who share this same world are forced to think of food as mere sustenance, something that will keep them and their children alive for another day.

I have been thinking about a way to turn my love of food, our love of food, into something worthwhile, even if it is but a small thing.

Then an idea came to me. There are a lot of visitors to Chez Pim every day. A lot of these hits are from Google and other search engines, for recipes and restaurant reviews, on top of the referrals from other blogs and my regular visitors. If each person who has made use of my recipes or reviews gave a little, a few dollars, or a few cents even, it would add up to be something. That sum can be given to a charity to help others who are not so lucky as we are.

I'm having a grand time doing what I love, eating, cooking, and writing about my experiences. I am happy to share the little that I know, prejudiced or otherwise, with you, and I would be even happier if this inspires you to share a little of what you have with the world.

I'm calling this little effort Spare us a grain of rice. I've registered with a delightfully clever site called Just Giving, who will manage the fund for us. Nothing will pass through my hands. Your donations will be listed individually, and the sum at the end of each month will be sent to a selected non-profit organization. The first recipient will be Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors without Borders. MSF is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 80 countries. They go everywhere they are needed. They take no heed of politics, war, conflict, or religion. They are never afraid to bear witness to the atrocity and inhumanity they encounter.

Last month five MSF volunteers in Afghanistan were brutally murdered. Young, vibrant, in the prime of their lives, doing what they loved to do, helping those who were suffering, and their lives were cruelly taken from them. I'm doing this in their memory. Please help.

Please click on the picture below to go to the donation site.

P.S. Thanks to Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini for the use of her pretty image of rice.