Running from Washington to Ontario to Highlight Hunger

Think you know what hunger is? Nearly ten million children under five years old die each year in developing countries. Over half of these deaths are a result of malnutrition and hunger. One recent graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham's School of Public Health is preparing to raise awareness and funds to fight world hunger.  

Joseph Henry will run more than 500 miles from The White House in Washington, D.C. to Guelph (Toronto area), Ontario, Canada.  The “Hunger 500,” has caught the attention and support of the United Nations World Food Programme, and World Food Program USA.  Henry and the Hunger 500 team are committed to raising $100,000 to help provide much needed aid for the 925 million people who do not have enough to eat.  

The international student organization, Universities Fighting World Hunger (UFWH), holds its 6^th Annual Summit at the University of Guelph, February 25- 27, 2011.  Henry is a charter member of the UFWH chapter at UAB.  The first president of the UAB chapter is Brendan Rice, who participated in Bread for the World's Hunger Justice Leaders program.

Henry, an avid runner, has been steadfastly training for the event for months while completing his graduate studies in Public Health. His running route from D.C. to Guelph will average more than thirty miles per day, for seventeen consecutive days. 

Henry is excited about his running to raise awareness for a much-needed cause – one he says that is dear to his heart.  Henry states, “When I learned that nearly 1 billion people suffer from chronic hunger, and more than 25,000 die every day it motivated me to try to help in some way:  it is these people that I will be running for”.

The Hunger 500 team plans to arrive in Guelph just in time to attend the conference.  Along the way, the team will be running from university to university where several students, faculty and other individuals will participate in the Hunger 500.  The team aims to hold hunger rallies at universities and other points of interest along the route. They invite anyone interested to run with them along the way. To learn more about the run, visit The Hunger 500 site. 

(Taken from Hunger 500 Press Release)