My audience hit the mental EXIT faster than a politician changing their vote.

I’ve been a public speaker long enough to know when people check out. Usually it takes longer than five minutes before the first one nods off, but I lost one group early.

I showed them riveting images of children with hungry eyes begging for food.  They folded their arms. I told stories that would make Clint Eastwood weep. They dozed.

I thought they didn’t care, but then it dawned on me: I was frustrating them.  I was giving them a problem they couldn’t solve.  The only option I gave them to fight hunger was to write a check.

But they had no money to give. It was an economically depressed town where a factory had just closed and me arriving on my big, white, hunger fighting horse did not impress them. I was actually making them feel worse.

Thus began my quest to give people new options to do something about global hunger.  People really do care and quite often will give sacrificially, but people want to do something about hunger.  Like any challenge we face, we want to roll up our sleeves and, as Larry the Cable guy says, “Git ‘er done!”

This is my passion: giving people practical things to do something about hunger.

I was so excited when my good friends at Auburn with Universities Fighting World Hunger came up with their new Why Care?  idea. It’s a simple way for you to do something about hunger. As Dr. June Henton, founder of UFWH says, “I am much more interested in starting a movement than an organization.”

I am convinced everyone cares about hunger, but we haven’t been given a lot of options to do something about hunger besides give money. (Don’t get me wrong; giving money is a great thing!)  But we want more. That’s why meal packaging events like Stop Hunger Now sets up are able to get 150K volunteers a year- people want to do something.

So write an a piece of paper or whiteboard,  “I care because __________ (fill in the blank)” and take your picture and do something fun and easy, yet meaningful, today about hunger. Post the picture on Facebook and/or other social media and get your friends to help out.  Get your co-workers or family together and do a BIG photo. Make it a competition.

Be a part of the movement.

Twitter:  @WhyCare_

Facebook:  Why Care Campaign

It’s your chance to do something about hunger. How else can a person do something about hunger? I’m always looking for ideas!