Drew Barrymore Donates $1 Million to World Food Program
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Drew Barrymore said Monday she is donating $1 million to help fight hunger.
She made the announcement on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," saying she would give the money to the World Food Program, a U.N. body that delivers millions of tons of food aid to more than 70 million people in about 80 countries.
"I'm able to make this incredible donation -- this has changed my life," she said on the program. "But I encourage everyone to give."
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Barrymore, who serves as a World Food Program ambassador, later told The Associated Press that the $1 million is the largest donation she's made.
"By far," the 33-year-old actress said. "But nothing has ever felt so good."
Barrymore, whose screen credits include the "Charlie's Angels" movies and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," visited the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade Monday afternoon, saying she discussed the impact of rising food prices on the poor.
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"I wanted to bring awareness to it because it's not something we think about," she said.
There has been a 40 percent rise in commodity prices since the middle of last year, caused in part by skyrocketing energy costs and rising consumer demand in developing countries like India and China, a World Food Program statement said.
The Rome-based agency has an annual budget of about $3 billion, but it said it needs $500 million more this year than it anticipated to help feed the world's poor because of the rising food and energy prices.