www.freerice.com
At a time of year when we often eat, drink and be merry to excess, it’s sometimes hard to fathom that there are others in the world with little or nothing to eat.

And it’s far too easy to say there is nothing we can do as individuals about that sad fact of life beyond donating a dollar or two to one fund or another. There are, however, more imaginative examples of what one person can do to to contribute, and at the same time, involve others in the process.

Dismayed by the fact that there are many going without and even starving in our bountiful world, John Breen  of Bloomington, Indiana, created the  freerice.com Internet game online that promises to contribute ten grains of rice with each correct answer to a multiple-choice vocabulary question. After three correct answers, the player graduates to a higher difficulty vocabulary level — equaling 30 grains of rice per level. While 10 grains of rice is a tiny amount, the numbers add up quickly as more people hear about the game and participate.

This game was inspired by his sons’ school vocabulary lessons and preparations for the SAT exam, with 50 vocabulary levels in all. A wrong answer puts you back a level, but each correct answer wins another 10 grains of rice — an encouragement to keep trying. The running total of the amount of rice you’ve won is displayed on the screen, encouraging even greater efforts.

During the game, names of advertisers appear along the bottom of the site. It is their fees that are donated to the United Nations World Food Programme to pay for the rice earned by each correct answer. On October 7, the first day the game was online, the site donated just 830 grains of rice, but after one month, more than850 million grains of rice had been donated. Word has spread — more players are involved every day, and more rice is being donated to help feed the world’s hungry. Check it out — www.freerice.com.

Maybe we can’t design and sponsor an online game, but this example is clear. If we set our minds to it, we can make a difference in our community and the world. Think of positive things you can do here and now to foster and experience the true aloha spirit of this holiday season.

Yes, we can — a simple statement and something to always remember.

– Haole Anna, Paia