Reproduced courtesy of Black Press. To read the full Abbotsford News/Chilliwack Progress story on this interesting project, written by Jennifer Feinberg and Alex Butler, go to:

http://www.abbynews.com/news/284176091.html

People enjoy posting pics of their food on social media.

What if a community campaign to fight hunger made it even more meaningful?

UFV Global Development students Cydney Myers, Kara Hanson and Carolina Silva launched a charity challenge around this very question to encourage food bank donations.

The challenge went live Nov 17 with the hashtag #sharemynextmeal, said Myers. The goal is to raise community involvement and hunger awareness in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission  and beyond.

The students, who take a Global Development Studies class at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, were assigned the task of designing a campaign with a more local focus.

“Our Global Development Studies class focuses on development issues around the world but our professor, Cherie Enns, asked us to create a campaign that focuses on poverty within our own communities,” said Myers.

Myers said they originally decided to work with the Abbotsford Food Bank, meeting with co-ordinator Dave Murray to discuss it, but as they put the campaign together, they realized social media would give the challenge the ability to spread even further.

This is how it works: Once tagged and challenged, participants post a photo of their next meal, with the hashtag #sharemynextmeal on Twitter or Facebook page. They mention which community food bank they plan to “share” their meal with, by donating cash or non-perishables and tagging three friends they wish to challenge.