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Today, October 16th, marks World Food Day, “a worldwide event designed to increase awareness, understanding and informed, year-around action to alleviate hunger.” With soaring food prices and economic woes on the minds of many, the events on World Food Day 2008 are sure to be well attended.

Among the countless gatherings taking place across the globe, one of note is the opening of the MercyCorps Action Center to End World Hunger today in New York City. The MercyCorps Action Center is “a first-of-its-kind interactive public space that educates and empowers visitors to tackle the global challenges posed by hunger and poverty”. This is also the kick-off of Mercy Corps’ “Hunger Action Week” during which they will host a number of events including spoken word, storytelling, comedy skits, student and family workshops raising awareness about global hunger and what we can do to help.

The Eat Well team is excited to attend the World Food Day event in New York City this evening sponsored by WHY entitled “Step up to the Plate: Ending the World Food Crisis”. Below are the details:

When: World Food Day, Thursday, October 16th, 2008 at 7 PM
Where: Great Hall of Cooper Union, 7 E. 7th Street (at 3rd Ave.), New York City
Cost: Free (suggested donation at the door)
RSVP (encouraged): whyevents@whyhunger.org. Seating is first come, first served.

Join WHY and our partners at the historic Great Hall of Cooper Union for the national launch of an urgent Call to Action to end the food crisis. Learn about the real causes and solutions to the crisis from special guests including:

• Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and founder of Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, CA
• Frances Moore Lappé, best-selling author of Diet for a Small Planet
• Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System
• Ben Burkett, president of the National Family Farm Coalition
• LaDonna Redmond, president of the Institute for Community Resource Development
• Pat Purcell of the United Food and Commercial Workers union
• Shari Rose of the Brooklyn Rescue Mission
• Gerardo Reyes Chávez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
• Musical guest Toby Lightman.