Dear readers, what a perfect charity that symbolizes Skip a Lunch. Just one dollar, not even half a latte!

Let’s all get together and support the McDonald’s charity event known as “McHappy Day”, from November 10th to the 20th. Purchase a hand for $1 or certain food items and your dollar will help make a difference to a child in need. McDonald’s has raised nearly $150 million since 2002.

You can donate online or learn more here.

If you purchase a hand, take a photo with your mobile phone and email it to blog [at] skipalunch.com and we’ll post it here. Mmm, now I’m hungry!

B

The Case Foundation, Causes, and PARADE magazine launched the 2009 America’s Giving Challenge on October 7th and has already surpassed 10,000 donations and raised $250,000. Imagine that, in just one week they’ve achieved this!

Let’s get involved with this great program!

Details on the 2009 America’s Giving Challenge:

America’s Giving Challenge participants will compete for 30 days to bring in the highest number of donations for their nonprofit cause through the Causes application on Facebook. Causes that net the most donations will receive a total of $170,000 in prize money in addition to what individuals give during the Challenge. Based on the number of donations to their cause, participants can compete for daily and overall awards (ranging from $500 to $50,000) from now until November 6th at 3 p.m. EST. This year’s Giving Challenge builds on last year’s effort that saw $1.8 million raised for nonprofits.

Challenge participants can get involved in one of two ways:

1. Champion a cause – Individuals can become “cause champions,” individuals who are passionate about a specific cause and will compete to obtain the most donations for their cause through the Causes application on Facebook.

2. Promote, donate or join a cause – All individuals are encouraged to take part in America’s Giving Challenge by joining, promoting and donating to the causes they care about. Facebook membership is not required to donate to a Giving Challenge cause.

To register to compete in the Giving Challenge, view details, and donate to a cause, visit www.americasgivingchallenge.com. Additionally, the Case Foundation is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/casefoundation, and you can follow news on America’s Giving Challenge with hashtag #AGC. (You can also check out a video of Matt Damon supporting America’s Giving Challenge here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y32CyumTI8!)

Ask.com has a great program running from September 13th to December 31st, 2009 called “Search for the Cure“. Ask.com will donate up to $100,000 in addition to monies raised by folks answering breast health questions and those who adopt the special homepage skin. From this program, Ask.com has pledged to invest at least $1 million through the “Search for the Cure” program and sponsorship of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure series.

So, all we have to do is adopt the skin, answer questions, and make a difference! For those that are not aware, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives and end breast cancer forever.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is now the world’s largest breast cancer organization and the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer with more than $1.3 billion invested to date. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.

Per Brittany Harrison from Stand Up To Cancer:

It’s hard to even find a $5 lunch these days, but we want to let people know that even those $5 can help end cancer. I’m Brittany, and I work with Stand Up To Cancer. Today we launched a new campaign that I think your audience can embrace. Meryl Streep is teaming up with SU2C to get 10,000 $5 donations from September 2 – October 2. Check out this widget to hear from Meryl herself: http://www.standup2cancer.org/su2c/five.

During the month of September, we’re asking the question: “What would you give up to end cancer?” As Meryl points out, for the cost of a coffee or a magazine, you can make a huge difference in the fight against cancer. We’d really appreciate if you could post the widget on your blog to let everyone know how easy it is to join the fight against cancer – even if you don’t post to your blog, feel free to share with your family and friends! This donation widget lets you donate $5 to SU2C and can be added to blogs and websites (embed code below) or it can be shared via Facebook and other social networks (click on the yellow SHARE button on the widget).

As I was checking for the recommended time between Brita filter changes I came across an exciting program for recycling your used filters.

Brita is teaming up with Preserve and their Gimme 5 program. Preserve is recycling the plastic filter casings for use in their eco-friendly, 100% recycled toothbrushes, cups, and cutting boards. They don’t mention what happens to the carbon other than it will be regenerated for alternate use or converted into energy.

Gimme 5 is a program by Preserve to recycle No. 5 polypropylene plastic which is the primary material in the filters. The reason this program is needed is because most local/municipal collection programs don’t accept this type of plastic.

The program is easy, you can either drop them off at their drop-off locations (here’s a list) or you can mail them in. They give instructions on the program here.

The Tap Project is about providing clean, safe water to children.

Some facts:

• Just $1 can provide a child safe drinking water for 40 days.
• Waterborne illness is the 2nd largest killer of children under 5.

More about the Tap Project:

“In 2007, the Tap Project was born in New York City based on a simple, tangible and easy-to-implement concept: restaurants would ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free, and all funds raised would support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world.”

So, get involved, get active. Follow them on Twitter, spread the word, volunteer, etc.

For the past five years the Zurich Classic Golf Tournament has been raising money for children’s charities, $18 million to date. This year, Zurich Financial Services is contributing $95,000 to two kids’ charities, Fore!Kids Foundation and Practical Action via an online golf relay game at HelpPoint for Kids.

Go to the HelpPoint for Kids site and create a golfer. Tee off a message to up to five friends, and each one can, in turn, tee off messages to their friends. Every time players tee off a round of 18 the two charities will receive donations from Zurich. Sounds like alot of fun, I’m heading off to create my own golfer now!

Image courtesy of www.malariafreefuture.org

Hi Everyone, tomorrow (April 25th) is World Malaria Day. Lots of organizations are taking part this year and you can help too.

Check out Voices For A Malaria-Free Future for some great information on the fight against malaria in Rwanda, as well as other advocacy projects VOICES does in Ghana, Kenya, Mail, and Mozambique. They have some great information available, including the following:

Along with basic information and how to take action, you’ll also find included at the site:

- Background on the successful Rwandan program via insecticide-treated bed nets, treatment guidelines, training community health workers and improving health facility care

- World Malaria Day PSA featuring PSI Global Ambassador and board member Ashley Judd

- Picture of Success: The Rwanda Fight Against Malaria, a short YouTube documentary on Rwandan efforts

- Photo Galley to experience Rwanda malaria control at work -

- Podcasts conducted for World Malaria Day with various experts including the Rwandan Minister of Health, Dr. Richard Sezibera and Dr. Corine Karema, Coordinator of Rwanda’s National Malaria Control Program

Malaria is how this blog got started, it’s really easy to get involved by purchasing insecticide treated bed nets, promoting education and awareness, and funding research. To donate to the American Red Cross’s effort against malaria, visit this page.

We’ve been featured in a list of “100 Best Blogs for Those Who Want to Change the World“ on the www.bestuniversities.com blog. We’re #14 in the “General” list, yay! Hopefully our idea on making small “lunch-money” sacrifices to change the world is being heard, adopted, and done by folks like you and me. Thanks for the continued support!