How To Help

Is my contribution too small?

WFP is grateful for any cash donation, no matter what size, to help in the fight against hunger. Your donation will be pooled together with those of other caring individuals. There is strength in numbers!

Can I give to a specific WFP operation?

Yes. If you are donating online, use the dropdown menu to indicate which operation you wish to support; for example, child hunger or Darfur.

Why can’t I make my donation to a specific country?

We appreciate and respect our donors’ wishes to support a particular project or country. However, because we work in about 80 different countries with a vast number of projects, it is sometimes necessary for us to consolidate donations in order to make efficient and effective use of your gift. WFP, like all humanitarian organisations, strives to fund forgotten emergencies, those that are not given the media attention of disasters. Just six to eight percent of hungry people are considered victims of emergency situations (such as drought, flooding, hurricane, civil conflict, etc), meaning more than nine out of ten hungry people die in everyday situations not shown on the news. We appreciate your flexibility and generosity to allow us to use your gift to meet our greatest needs.

Can I donate food?

Enormous quantities of food are needed to feed an average 100 million people in a year, so WFP prefers to send bulk commodities to places that need it, saving on commodity price, transport and administration costs. For this reason, small donations of food cannot be accepted.

Can I send goods rather than cash?

Cash donations enable WFP to get enough food to hungry people in the fastest and most flexible way. However, WFP does require certain, specific non-food items for its operations. If your organisation would like to make a bulk contribution of food or other items, please contact the Private Donor Relations Division.

What will my donation be used for?

Your donation is particularly important to us because WFP does not receive dues or UN assessed contributions. Cash donations help WFP to:

• Buy food for the hungry. Where possible, WFP buys food in developing countries in order to support local economic growth.
• Take food to the hungry. Whether by ship, rail, road or air, WFP delivers millions of tons of desperately needed food aid to some of the most remote locations on earth.
• Help the hungry feed themselves. Using food aid as an incentive, WFP helps people all over the world learn skills and build livelihoods which will allow them to feed their families without help from aid organisations.
• Make sure food arrives in the right place, at the right time. WFP carefully monitors its food aid, in an effort to be sure that hungry families receive the food they need.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

If you are a tax payer in the US, Australia, UK, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, Germany or Italy, you can make a tax-deductible donation. For more information.

What are WFP “Friends” organisations?

Friends of the World Food Programme are non-profit organisations that are dedicated to increasing awareness about hunger issues and mobilising resources and support for WFP’s hunger relief operations. Currently, there are four “Friends of WFP” organisations: Friends of WFP, Comitato Italiano PAM, Japan Association for the UN World Food Programme and WFP Friends Hong Kong Ltd.