Make a Difference.

I post plenty of silliness from time to time. I enjoy spreading a bit of whimsy and well, simply entertaining myself. 

But every once in a while I also feel obliged to use this little space of the blogosphere to bring awareness to issues or causes. 

And today I am doing just that by participating again in Blog Action Day. 

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking a global discussion and driving collective action. 

This year Blog Action Day coincides with World Food Day so the topic is, naturally, food. 

Food is a topic near and dear to my heart. In fact, food is often the centerpiece of our home and provides much of the fodder for this blog. Our family congregates each night for family dinners. It is our most sacred family time. We also use food to mark celebrations and holidays.

For us, it is so much more than nourishment.

It is cultural.

It is social.

And, for the most part, we take it for granted.

The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving. Since you've been on this page at least 200 people have died of starvation. Over 4 million will die this year.

One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.

One out of eight.

In the United States!

The statistics are gut-wrenching.

Especially for children who are helpless to help themselves.

The current situation in Somalia is particularly disturbing. The famine in Somalia has already killed 30,000 children in just three months. That is absolutely obscene.

Without spending a dime you can make a difference by lending your voice to One.Org.

Or make a monetary donation to the charity of your choice -- local or international. Save the Children is the world's leading independent organization for children. And a full ninety percent of all donations go directly to their programs.

Or make an ongoing statement by purchasing and carrying a FEED bag. Each FEED 1 Bag purchased will provide one child in Africa school lunch for an entire year.

To encourage you to keep the conversation going I will donate to $5 to the United Nations World Food Programme for each comment posted below between now and Thursday, October 20th at 9PM CST.

Through that donation every single comment will provide 20 children with a school lunch. Twenty lunches just for your comment.

So spread the word. Tweet it. Post it on Facebook. Stumble it. Or just forward to a friend.

Joining the conversation and raising awareness can make a difference.

My total donation amount will be disclosed on Friday, October 21st.