2016 was a tough year. It challenged Global Citizens, urging us all to remember now is not the time to back down. We must continue working toward solutions for the global issues of hunger, access to clean water, the refugee crisis, quality education, and equal rights.
Delivering food aid to conflict regions grows increasingly dangerous, leading to severe malnutrition, and starvation. Hunger pushed Guy Philippe, a wanted warlord, to plead for food assistance for the people of his hometown in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew.
However, it wasn’t all bad news. There are innovative solutions at hand, and many people from top chefs to supermarket managers to refugees in Ghana taking action to feed the world’s remaining 795 million hungry.
Here are 17 stories to remind us of the little steps that, ultimately, make a big difference when it comes to ending hunger.
1. Woman Won Year of Free Pizza, Immediately Donated It to Homeless Shelter
By far one of the most selfless acts of food kindness in 2016. Hannah Spooner is our hero.
2. How One Man Came to Be Fed by 60 Grandmothers Around the World
Photographer Gabriele Galimberti explores the beauty and diversity of home cooked from after his Italian grandmother was worried he would starve on a trip around the world.
3. Top Chefs Created Beautiful Meals for Brazil's Poor in Rio
Controversy around Brazil hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games continued through the summer. In spite of the turmoil, inspiring stories of those fighting to end hunger surfaced just as strong.
4. These Scientists Created ‘Fruit Film’ to Reduce Food Waste
James Rogers and a team of 40 scientists run Apeel, a company with products that allow fruit and vegetables to last up to five times longer. This could have a huge impact on the agricultural sector who would be able to produce food at much higher efficiency — saving land, energy, and water and wasting less food in the process.
5. This App Won’t Let Restaurant Leftovers Go to Waste
Ninety-five restaurants signed up to be a part of the Too Good to Go app in Denmark which redistributes extra food at the end of the day to hungry customers for a fraction of the price. There’s also a place in the app for users to purchase food to be donated to local charities to feed the hungry.
6. This Supermarket Only Sells Food Waste
Most misshapen fruits, mislabeled grains, and any other item that are perfectly edible but don’t look right to consumers get tossed by supermarkets. That’s not the case for this store in Denmark. WeFood helps break the stereotype around ugly food by making it the only option. If everyone thought this way about ugly food, there would be a lot less wasted.
7. This Guy Spent Only $2.25 on Food in the Last Year
William Reid takes dumpster diving to a whole new level. He lives off produce and tossed goods from grocery stores, markets, bakeries, and more.
8. This Refugee Is a Sustainable Farming Pioneer
Drought conditions and poor roads make it cheaper to import rice from Southeast Asia than ship it 60 miles down the road in Ghana. But a refugee and an activist are training farmers to remain peaceful and practice more efficient farming.
9. Cheap Food + Reducing Food Waste = A Really Good Idea for an App
“We allow people to make a major social impact by buying great food from restaurants; food which used to be considered leftovers and thrown away at the end of the day,” David Rodríguez, founder of Food For All told Global Citizen.
10. This Food Dehydrator Makes Insects Taste Like Chips
Elise Kendall created KinoSol, a solar-powered portable tool that pulls moisture out of just about anything. It’s helping farmers in the Andes, Ghana, and even food vendors in Shanghai preserve their goods longer.
11. How One Man Created a Food-Waste Empire in the UK
Adam Smith, who started the Real Junk Food Project — a “pay-as-you-feel” supermarket redistributing unwanted food in the UK — is making big strides in changing the food system.
12. A Wedding Inspired This Man to Serve 1M Meals to Hungry
Ankit Kawatra was shocked that in his country, where 194 million are undernourished, a huge wedding will result in heaps of curries, rice, pakoras sitting in the trash at the end of a blissful night. He found a way to bridge the gap.
13. Food Heroes Are Redistributing Wasted Food in India
Roti Bank is a massive network for food redistribution based off the model of India’s most mysterious and food delivery workers.
14. This Woman Is Stocking a Fridge Outside Her Restaurant for the Hungry
With little room in her restaurant for leftovers, Minu Pauline found an opportunity to feed her community.
15. This Man Made Edible and Nutritious Cutlery
Safe to eat spoons, chopsticks, and forks are nutritious, and they cut down on water use since no washing is required.
16. This Fancy Soup Kitchen Serves Dignity and Warm Meals
Walk in. Be greeted by a host. Sit at a table with a menu. Make a choice from the variety of food options. Be delivered food by a waiter/waitress. Eat freshly prepared meal. Talk with volunteers. That’s exactly what the homeless and hungry can do at this soup kitchen.
17. Female Farmers Are the Key to Ending Hunger, Plus They Feed the World
In some countries, 70% of small farmers are women. Find out what three key things the women who feed the world need to succeed.