Feed the World Week Oct 15-21st Announcement

[Guest guest]

This message is forwarded from HH Lokanath Swami

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Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

 

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

This year, Prabhupada108 year, is the 108th anniversary of Srila

Prabhupada's appearance. All year long we are having special events,

festivals and programs to commemorate this occasion.

 

One of the events we are promoting is Feed the World week. Feed the World

Week is coming up, October 15 - 21st.

 

I wanted to just write a few words to encourage temples and devotees to

participate for Srila Prabhupada's pleasure in this 108 year.

 

We should facilitate this event in every possible way. By donating our time

to help cook or distribute the prasadam, our wealth to fund its

distribution, our influence to help get things started and keep them going,

or to find sponsors to provide funding.

 

Feed the World Day (FWD) was inaugurated on Saturday, November 23, 1996. On

this day, Food for Life devotees and friends in over 100 countries served

Prasadam meals in honor of Srila Prabhupada's Centennial. Prabhupada was the

founder of Hare Krishna Food for Life. He wrote: "Simply by liberal

distribution of prasadam, the whole world can become peaceful and prosperous

[sB 4.12.10]....one earns happiness by making the cows and bulls happy."

In 1997, in order to facilitate greater cooperation and to increase food

distribution, the event was expanded another 6 days and renamed "Feed the

World Week (Oct 15-21)

 

Many thanks are due to Priyavrata Prabhu, who has been selflessly working to

perpetuate Food for Life and Feed the world week ever since the Centennial

year. This is a special year, so we want to give a boost to the ongoing

perpetuation of Feed the World week. We should give a boost, and then keep

the standard high. The inspiration that comes with events like this 108 year

helps give our projects a special push, then it is up to us to maintain

them.

 

This year once again October 15-21 will mark the annual observance of Feed

the World Week (FWW). This year, we could make this a special Prabhupada108

observance. During this week, Food for Life devotees and concerned

vegetarians in over 60 countries will serve out more than 2 million plates

of Prasadam to the world!

 

Feed the World Week is a call for action, for the world to move away from

the meat-based diet-that robs the earth of vital resources and leaves

billions homeless and hungry. Priyavrata Dasa, Global director of Food for

Life, says "that more than 70% of the world's grain production is fed to

livestock destined for slaughterhouses. That same grain could feed humans.

Every year, millions of children in the developing world die from hunger,

alongside fields of grains destined for the West's livestock."

 

 

In an attempt to correct this imbalance of the earth's resources, Hare

Krishna Food for Life volunteers daily distribute fifty thousand karma-free

meals to the needy of the world!

 

The Food for Life website has many resources to help you with Feed the World

week at http://www.ffl.org/html/feed_the_world.html.

 

At the end of this message I have added some materials that you can use to

promote this event in your local media.

 

So why not, why not feed Prasadam for a whole week. That's ideal. But at

least one day out of the seven, some Prasadam distribution should be there

during this week. We are talking about an impact. Doing this program for one

day, that is not so much impact. But if you could do it every day, that will

have a big impact. And if it is only one, then let it be a big one. Give it

everything you have and make a big show.

 

Please do your best to make this Prabhupada108 Feed the World week event the

best one ever.

 

Hare Krishna -

 

Your servant, Lokanath Swami

 

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What to Say? (media relations)

The four objectives mentioned earlier are the key messages to get out to

the public. However, you may have something else you need to say regarding

your own FWW activities. The following answers to some common questions are

just a guideline that you can work with to formulate the most suitable

responses for your needs:

Q. What is Feed the World Week?

A. Feed the World Week is a unique scheme to unite the world through food

and a way to awaken people to the benefits of a cruelty-free world.

Q. Could you elaborate on those benefits?

A. Briefly, a plant based diet is now the recommended dietary choice by

world experts for a number of reasons: it's healthier for the heart; it's

economically sound; it's better for the environment and it enables more

people to eat. Did you know that 75 percent of the world grain production is

fed to livestock. That same grain could feed the 1.3 billion people now

considered undernourished.

Q. Don't you think it is a bit presumptuous - "Feed the World?"

A. The point is that there is no lack of food in the world; the earth has a

capacity to feed ten times the present population. Our aim in celebrating

Feed the World Week is to bring this fact to the attention of the world --

it is indeed possible to feed the world. Only human society has a hunger

problem.

Q. Why is that?

A. Because of greed. One person is taking more than their quota while

another person is deprived of his share. Srila Prabhupada, the Founder of

Hare Krishna Food for Life, the world's largest vegetarian food relief,

desired to correct this imbalance in society, through the liberal

distribution of prasadam (sanctified food). In essence, it is greed that is

at the root of the world hunger problem and this greed is an indication of

an immoral and spiritually ignorant society.