(NAPSA)—On a new website dedicated to sharing, Dawn, a con- tributor from lowa, writes: “Our church has a program where volunteers come to prepare and cook meals for the homeless in our community.... There is a need for it even in small townslike ours. What a great way to share.” ™ ~*~ ath, | 1 aes ai To: en Pos 2 = Pet get eal a h. | awe ge J mS het y Over 125,000 meals have been donated through www.SpreadThe Sharing.com. The new program, Spread The Sharing, lets Americans like Dawn turn their everyday acts of sharing into meals for hungry households. Stories of sharing on the site range from big to small, from bringing a cake toa new neighbor to helping out at a local soup kitchen. Americans are encouraged to visit www.SpreadTheSharing.com and submit their story of sharing. Each story told will result in Shedd’s Country Crock donating a meal through America’s Second Harvest. Meals will then be distributed nationwide to families in need. Country Crock has already donated one million meals through America’s Second Harvest. Country Crock hopesto collect one million more stories by Thanksgiving which will trigger an additional one million meal donation. A Common Problem The USDA reports hungeris a constant battle, with 35 million Americans—many of them children—living in food-insecure homes. “Spread The Sharing”is about the power of sharing and the power of communities, and offers Americans a chance to feed a hungry family simply by sharing a Story. Sharing Stories Hosted by Grammy Award-winning singer, Amy Grant, the site features a streaming newscast called the Sharing News Network (SNN). Amy herself has seen the positive impact sharing can make on a community and its people. For Amy, sharing mostly revolves around her family. “I always cook enough for an army so I can share with my parents, my sisters and their families. It’s a simple way to get the extended family together and share somespecial, meaningful time together,” says Grant. The site also contains video diaries from SNN reporters who bring stories to life from their travels across the country where they interviewed and talked to ar i ‘ L . pee ew = ” rf wt na = vhs i WN ogg? a Sharing is Powerful—Every story told helps feed a hungry family. people about their contributions and sharing experiences. Highlighting Local Sharing From baking cookies for a neighbor or bringing flowers to a sick friend, acts of sharing posted on the site not only can make a positive impact in our communi- ties but will also help feed famihes at risk nationwide. Janna from Pennsylvania shares her talent for music with seniors at local nursing homes. She writes, “Through my Opera Workshop Class, we have traveled to two nursing homes to perform opera arias...After the perfor- mance, it is wonderful to hear how much they enjoyed or appreciated the music, but it is even more touching to hear their stories of how performing music touched their lives.” Bushey from New York was so moved by a local painter, whose work had a positive impact in the community, that he founded a day for Pete “The Painter” Traversa. Bushey said “I founded and organized an impressive volunteer day to honor Pete who maintained our buildings and grounds for decades until he died. Over 100 volunteers worked in disadvantaged neighborhoods and painted dilapidated houses and bridges that diminished the appearance of property, and affected the attitudes of area citizens. ‘Pete the Painter Service Day’ has since been an annual event, and has hadpositive affects on our community.” Like Dawn, Janna and Bushey, there are countless others who have shared inspirational stories and are making a difference in their communities. Hopefully, these stories will inspire more acts of sharing across the country which will trigger more meal donations. For more information, visit www.spreadTheSharing.com.
