WhyHunger first caught my attention in 2015 when I was invited by Manasha and Keelin Garcia, founders of the Jerry Garcia Foundation, to perform music for the ‘Imagine There’s No Hunger’ benefit at the Hard Rock Café in San Francisco. The concert featured my band, Rainbow Full of Sound, with special guest Bob Weir. It was an honor to participate as an artist with such an amazing group of people helping people, and to be even a small part of John Lennon’s Vision! Maybe I am a Dreamer, but when we spread the kindness it creates a #RippleEffect
My involvement with WHYHunger can be summed up simply in a quote from Pete Seeger "good people, with live hearts, live minds, and live eyes.” - Joe D'Urso
“WhyHunger is a major part of my life and has been for as long as I can remember. As a long-time board member and volunteer, I am privileged to be part of the visionary leadership role WhyHunger takes in fighting hunger. Intellectually, our programs stimulate me; spiritually, our work inspires me and keeps me going; and musically, being part of Artists Against Hunger and Poverty links me with a vibrant, committed community of fellow artist-activists.”
"WhyHunger embodies all that is good about the human spirit. Helping others in need is the simplest form of kindness and they do it on a daily basis."
"WhyHunger's Artists Against Hunger & Poverty program speaks close to home for me. Being raised in Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, now recognized as the poorest state in the US, there are still many people who go to bed hungry every night. My hope is to continue to use my voice to raise awareness and do everything I can to make sure that our people are not forgotten..."
Harry Chapin was a brilliant singer-songwriter, a visionary and humanitarian of the highest order. He was the embodiment of one person using their gift to better the world. It is an honor, and a privilege to be involved with AAH&P. In a hungry world, there is no such thing as too many cooks. Everyone deserves to Taste the Freedom.
I strongly believe no one should ever go to bed hungry, and I'm thankful I have the power to make a difference. I look forward to working with WhyHunger and my amazing Whitesiders to eliminate the amount of hunger and poverty in the world
We are so proud to be involved with such a transformative organization. WhyHunger continues to make a real difference in communities and lead the fight against hunger. Their spirit, tireless enthusiasm and vision inspire us to continue to get involved.. and in the words of Harry Chapin "When in doubt, do something"
Why Hunger?
Because I’m a Mom, community organizer and musician.
Because I believe in identifying hunger and poverty’s root causes, challenging those systems and paving the way to sustained change.
Because they are all about social justice, education, community and music, and so am I.
"I support WhyHunger because of their founders and the principles they believed in. That food is a human right and that to fight poverty one must understand and strike at the root of the issue. I also support WhyHunger because I have gotten to know the people who work in and run the organization and many who are benefactors. I think they are amazing people doing heroic work and I would follow them anywhere"
It breaks my heart to see so many go without a meal. Its a true reminder to be grateful. There is an abundance of food on this planet, yet so many are starving. No one in this world deserves to go without something to eat. Its important to me that the less fortunate know we care about them! Everyone, everywhere matters and its time we come together and pay it forward.
"White Lightning" began in a garage (where else?) in Lodi, New Jersey in 1977. Drummer, and WCBS "Chopper 880" reporter, Tom Kaminski says: "We are honored to be part of Artists Against Hunger And Poverty. Our friends at WhyHunger are on the front lines of the battle against hunger, a battle that rages every day right in our own neighborhoods. They help connect people to the nutritious food they need with a sense of dignity and hope. We are proud to support WhyHunger in any way we can."
In a world with so many hungry people, WhyHunger is a beacon of hope.I am so proud to be a long-time supporter and Board member of this wonderful organization.
As ‘influencers’ and artists online it is our responsibility to ensure that ‘influence’ leaves a positive and productive mark on the world. WhyHunger acknowledges the artist’s capacity for serving as vessels for what the world needs to hear and employs their talents in a way that is revolutionary. I am simply proud to bring awareness to this wonderful organization and proud to know that we as artists are making a difference.
With all of knowledge and resources available in the world today, no one should go hungry. Not one person in the world can survive without proper nutrition. WhyHunger's mission stating that nutritious food is human right resonates deeply with Light Warriors. There's a universal truth and unifying oneness to this mission and we are honored to serve it.
I support WhyHunger because of their grassroots approach in not only providing nourishment, but building up communities to win the fight against poverty and hunger.
We are excited to bring a new generation of artist ambassadors on board to help fuel WhyHunger’s work in the U.S. and around the world. Interested in becoming an official member of our Artists Against Hunger & Poverty program? Contact Hillary at [email protected] to discuss a program tailored to your needs.
No one deserves to be hungry or live in poverty and in order to bring this to a halt everyone needs to be involved. Giving back allows me to pay it forward in hopes that someone will receive it knowing that they are supported even in their darkest time.
Photo credit: Danny Clinch
“Each day, most of us take regular meals as a given and yet there are still so many people that are unable to feed themselves, their families, their communities. WhyHunger not only provides this basic need directly, but provides resources to help communities create sustainable nutrition. It is an amazing feeling to be part of an organization that meets such a fundamental need.”
I heard Bill Ayres as a guest DJ on E Street Radio on Sirius & was blow away by what he said about hunger in America. It feels like the hunger crisis in America is accepted or just plain ignored so it’s exciting for me to know that WhyHunger is there to help people in need find food & resources as well as offer support & guidance to artists who want to make a difference.
As a traveling musician, I have a platform and a social and moral responsibility to raise awareness and funds for community based organizations that combat the ever growing and completely solvable problem of hunger and poverty. Food banks were an essential resource for my own family and blessing in my life growing up. I will never forget that kindness and humility. Now, it makes me so proud to give something back.
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My career as a photographer has been a dream come true. I am excited and thankful to be able to use my work to give back to the community by joining forces with WhyHunger— I would have never imagined, back when I was 15 years old and sneaking my camera into concerts, that I would make a living out of doing this. It’s time to spread the word that founder Harry Chapin started and do what one can to help those in need.
EVERYONE should have access to healthy food. WhyHunger is helping make that happen. Over the last couple years I’ve worked closely with a few amazing folks on their staff and I trust them. And to boot, the organization was founded by one of my absolute hero’s, the late Harry Chapin. These are just a few reasons why I’m so stoked to be a part of what WhyHunger is doing.
It’s a privilege and a pleasure to work with WhyHunger. I make music because while "it doesn’t change the world - people do - sometimes music changes people” as Pete Seeger said. Indefensibly people go hungry for no shortage of food in our land but of a shortage of awareness, empathy and will on the part of those with the power to change this. Still it can be changed. Peace and democracy can only exist to the degree that we have economic justice and no one goes hungry.
In the years since Harry’s death, I have been blessed with the opportunity to play and share his songs in concert with many of his fans who “Remember When the Music.” I am proud to continue performing as a member of Artists Against Hunger and Poverty to help raise money and awareness for the great organization Harry Chapin co-founded and that still serves to fight hunger and food insecurity on our planet.
Growing up, my dad used to run the local soup kitchen, and I would go every week to help him feed those in need. To see people struggle to get something we need every day to survive hurt me in a way that I’ll never forget. I promised myself that I would always use my platform to help those in need, and as my platform continues to grow, so does my ability to help change the world. WhyHunger is working to eliminate the hunger crisis in America, and I can’t think of a better way to make sure that everyone is full of food and full of love.
For us, WhyHunger is part of our family. We were literally brought up at benefit concerts and overnight Hungerthon phone banks, and as we grew up and learned more about the injustices in our world we felt more and more in our bones how necessary WhyHunger is and the work it does. We are honored to be part of Artists Against Hunger and Poverty, which connects us with a community of artists who believe, as has been proven time and again, that art and music can change the world.
"Working with WhyHunger has given me the opportunity to get involved with both my local community and the world in a tangible way. I think issues of hunger and poverty are important to my friends, fans, and peers, but it's often overwhelming to know how to help. WhyHunger makes it easy for us to connect and make a real difference."
As a singer-songwriter, performer, and educator, it's an amazing honor and privilege to be one of Artists Against Hunger and Poverty ambassadors. I'm really looking forward to making more people aware of the movement of WhyHunger while performing music. Combating hunger has always been a significant cause to help those all over the world. Hopefully, one day in the not too distant future, the goals of WhyHunger will be achieved so that everyone can live a life free of hunger and poverty.
"I’m excited to donate all proceeds from my cover of Neil Young's song, "Helpless", to WhyHunger. They are working to eradicate hunger at a systemic level and understand that food is a human right. I believe in their work that addresses the root causes of hunger."
“It's easy to feed the hungry once and forget about them tomorrow. WhyHunger tackles the bigger issue head on - teaching people to feed themselves and advocating at the community level so that hungry people can help themselves. I'm lucky enough to eat three square meals a day and so should everybody else. That's WhyHunger for me!”
As an artist, I feel a personal responsibility to create art that’s community and humanity minded. To tell the stories of the people that need to be amplified. In that, my involvement with WhyHunger and full on support of the mission to eradicate hunger and poverty in America & worldwide is without question. I’m a stand for a transformed world & the best way to transform the world is to get to the heart of the problem and create palpable solutions to better humanity, from food security to social equity and beyond.
As a band we make music to inspire & bring positivity into people's lives. We have a strong message that we write & sing about. We felt it was time to take action on that message & actually do something about it. That's why we chose to partner up with WhyHunger, an organization that's changing lives on a daily basis. We’re excited & honored to work with such a great cause.
Working with WhyHunger has given us the opportunity to bring people together through the power of music and help make a change. We all learn from each other and WhyHunger gives us an outlook and an understanding of the severity of the hunger problem. As we all join together and face this issue in which most people take for granted, we can make a difference!
“As a singer, I understand how important nutrition is to my body; to my instrument. It breaks my heart to know there are so many people in our world struggling to find a meal. This is why I am honored to partner with WhyHunger, and to use my platform as an artist to help initiate change and make a difference.”
"It is an honor for us to stand with Whyhunger in the fight against hunger and poverty. We truly believe that the root cause of most of our world's problems stem from this major crisis, and Whyhunger is leading the path in the 21st century to a hunger and poverty free world"
Terrapin is honored to be working with WhyHunger, Artists Against Hunger and Poverty. The spirit of the music that we play and how we approach our lives is grounded in community, awareness and action. WhyHunger is dedicated to creating a world without food inequalities, and Terrapin is delighted to use every resource we have to help support such a worthy and important goal. We believe that by correcting food inequalities in our piece of the planet, we can chip away at a global solution one neighborhood at a time.
"As a child I began to have major concerns about hunger worldwide when my grandparents told me about poverty overseas and the agricultural and economic struggles people were facing. It grew even stronger as a teenager on a family trip to Seattle when I saw the needs of the people right in my home, America. I hope to use my crazy sense of humor and passion for travel to spread the word and help communities in need both domestically and abroad. I am proud and excited to be making a difference in the world by working with WhyHunger, an organization which focuses on the root causes of hunger and poverty."
We’re honored to be a part of Harry Chapin 40 Year Anniversary: A Celebration of Life on July 19, 8PM ET at City Winery NYC. It is a unique and thoroughly entertaining live docu-concert event featuring Harry's incredible music and his inspiring life story. Get your tickets today:
bit.ly/3gIBge8
#CityWinery #docuconcert #HarryChapin #livemusic #concert #whyhunger
Happy Birthday to AAH&P member and WhyHunger Board Member, Joe D'Urso! Thank you for your continued support!
#HappyBirthday
Happy Birthday, Sir Paul McCartney! #fbf to 2010 when Paul McCartney Hard Rocky designed this exclusive T-shirt for the HardWhyHungerling 2010 Signature series that supported WhyHunger. We are grateful for Paul's contribution to help end hunger and poverty.
#happybirthday #paulmccartney #thebeatles #whyhunger #hardrock
#WednesdayWisdomArtists have the unique power to spark change. Since day one, WhyHunger and its co-founder, the late musician and activist #HarryChapin, have been mobilizing artists and their fans to raise funds, build awareness and spark action. Sign up for the AAH&P newsletter and follow our Facebook page to stay in the loop. #WhyHunger #wednesdaywisdom
Imagine There's No Hunger. Hard Rock teamed up with Yoko Ono and us to create a collection that gives back! Their new signature series of merchandise John Lennon: "Imagine There's No Hunger" currently includes male and female tees, a mini guitar, hat & pin with 30% of the proceeds directly benefiting us and our mission to end hunger. Shop the collection today!
prn.to/3atLoE1
#ImagineNoHunger #HardRockCafe #JohnLennon #WhyHunger #FeelGoodFriday
Emily Kinney
Emily Kinney performs “Never Leave LA” on SiriusXM’s Today Show Radio for Hungerthon
Get Together
Jesse Colin Young and Steve Miller’s re-record “Get Together” available via SongAid
Helpless
Molly Tuttle’s cover of Neil Young’s “Helpless” featuring Old Crow Medicine Show & proceeds going to WhyHunger
Imagine
Carlos and Cindy Santana joined forces with SongAid and WhyHunger with their version of John Lennon’s “Imagine”
