Lara Ferroni Photography

By now, you certainly know it’s Menu for Hope time again.

If you’ve never heard of Menu of Hope, well you are in for a treat. It is the food blog world’s an annual fundraising event in support of the UN World Food Programme. Last year everyone raised over $60,000 to help the UN World Food Programme by buying $10 raffle tickets to some of the coolest foodie prizes you can imagine… fabulous dinners, great kitchen gear, scrumptious stuffs for the pantry, unbelievable experiences, and beautiful art. This year, there is more of the same… so it’s time to start your bidding!

With a special permission from the WFP, the funds raised by Menu for Hope 4 will be earmarked for the school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. We chose to support the school lunch program because providing food for the children not only keeps them alive, but helps them stay in school so that they learn the skills to feed themselves in the future.

We chose to support the program in Lesotho because it is a model program in local procurement – buying food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. Instead of shipping surplus corn across the ocean, the WFP is buying directly from local subsistent farmers who practice conservation farming methods in Lesotho to feed the children there.

We feed the kids, keep them in school, and support their parents and community farming. This sustainable approach to aid is something we believe in and strongly support.

For my part, Cook & Eat is sponsoring something that is near and dear to me… a Theo Chocolate Extravaganza (UW25).

Seattle’s very own Theo chocolates is one of the few chocolatiers that actually makes their own chocolate from the beans, supporting Fair Trade & organic whenever possible. The result? Amazing flavors and social responsibility. This package includes one of every bar that Theo makes, from their Theo single origin bars (ranging from 65% to a whopping 91% cacao content) to the innovative flavor combinations of their 3400 line (the six bar types include Vanilla Milk Chocolate, Chai Milk Chocolate, Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate, Bread & Chocolate Dark, Nib Brittle Dark and Coffee Dark) as well as a 6 piece collection box of the shops own exquisite confections (burnt sugar, lemon, pb&j, fig fennel, mint, Ivory Coast), a big box of cocoa nibs, and a 1lb bag of spicy Sipping Chocolate. That’s a lot of chocolate!

And, to help keep the memory alive, I’m also including a framed 8×10 print of one of my chocolate photos (exact print to be decided later between myself and the winner).

Finally, if you are in Seattle (or will be visiting), we’ll take a tour of the Theo factory and spend some time talking food, chocolate, photography or whatever you’d like.

Shipping, for everything but the Theo Factory and myself, is included wherever it is not prohibited by law.

If chocolate isn’t your thing, do make sure you check out all the other great prizes and support this fantastic cause. Here’s how:

1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from the prize list at http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2007/12/menu-for-hope-4.html. You must make sure to check the terms and conditions for the individual prizes BEFORE you bid, as some will come with restrictions regarding where they ship to or how long the prize is valid for.

2. Go to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope4 and make a donation.

3. Please specify which prize you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code. The code for my prize is UW25.

Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for UW25 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xUW25, 3xEU02

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

Check back on Chez Pim on Wednesday, January 9 for the results of the raffle. I will also post an announcement here with the the winner of my prize.

Thank you so much for your support and for helping to make this event even more successful than last year!!

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