Support Bread for the World’s work with a $100 donation, and I’ll match it. Plus I’ll mail you a special Christmas gift. Join me in this challenge by going to Rick Steves’ Christmas Fundraiser Challenge.
I’ve enjoyed sharing my experiences filming our public TV special in the Holy Land over the last month. It was a powerful learning experience for me, and I hope you found it worthwhile, too. Now it’s great to be back home.
Whenever I travel outside of the peace, stability, and affluence of Europe and the US, I find myself adjusting my worldview. I become more in tune with the realities of people who will never have the joy of seeing their name on a vacation plane ticket. If these times seem tough for our friends and family, imagine how tough they are for hungry and poor people — especially in tumultuous and less stable parts of our world.
To add extra meaning to my holiday season, I’m helping to raise funds for Bread for the World, an organization that advocates for hungry people at home and around the world. This year, the needs are particularly great, so I’ve got a fun challenge to do something that, collectively, can make a huge difference: Consider supporting Bread for the World’s good work with a donation of $100 — and I’ll match all gifts up to $100,000. Imagine: As an extended family of caring citizens, together we can empower their work with $200,000! Make your donation by going to Rick Steves’ Christmas Fundraiser Challenge.
Bread for the World advocates for the world’s poorest people. In others words, they lobby Congress to go light on budget cuts that will hurt those in need. Considering all the interests competing for attention on Capitol Hill, I’m proud to support what I consider the best way possible to give the hungry a voice.
Bread for the World is amazingly effective. While the food provided by all the charities in our country only amounts to 6 percent of the food assistance available, our government provides the rest. That means Bread’s advocacy work has a huge impact. For every dollar Bread raises, it leverages $100 in terms of funding that is vital to poor people. Assuming that ratio holds, if we hit our $200,000 target, we’ll generate $20 million of life-giving, hope-instilling funding for this cause. I’m convinced that supporting Bread is the very best way to leverage my charitable giving. That’s why I’ve been a Bread member for 30 years.
So here’s my challenge: To give this holiday season an extra punch this year, go to Rick Steves’ Christmas Fundraiser Challenge, and help Bread for the World with your gift of $100 or more. As a thank you, I’ll match your donation (so Bread will receive double what you donate) and send you three gifts from my Rick Steves’ European Christmas collection:
- Rick Steves’ European Christmas DVD
- Rick Steves’ European Christmas coffee-table book
- Rick Steves’ European Christmas music CD
I’ll happily pay for the cost of these three gifts, plus shipping, so that Bread for the World can put 100 percent of your donation to work. Make your gift by Dec. 10, and you’ll get everything in time for Christmas.
Thanks and Merry Christmas!
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
What a great charity but we have people including children in the U.S. who don’t have enough food. Parse the argument however you will but charity begins at home.
I believe that bread for the world is the whole world including here at home.
Before making your final video, please re-check your comment that Palestinians are welcome to drive on the terrific highways that criss-cross the West Bank. Could the Israelis have possibly staged that or told you that erroneously. It’s well known that those swell highways are segregated: for Israelis and tourists only. The Palestinians are forced to use inferior roads and often to take long roundabout treks to get just from one village to another.
Further, your airy comment that checkpoints only cause delays when “there’s tension” ignores the very frequent suffering and degradation those young soldiers and their commanders cause Palestinians going between their towns. People die at the checkpoints, prevented from getting to hospitals–even for childbirth. THANKS, RICK. Anne
Oh I’m super jealous of your trip but I know you’re going to LOVE it!! You’ll want to go back as soon as you leave beaucse there’s definitely more to see than can be seen in a week.One of my favorite memories is venturing down Portobello Road Market to shop. It’s a combination of antiques, mom-n-pop shops, vintage, bakeries and so much more! I highly recommend hitting up the Hummingbird Bakery for a delicious cupcake and Rellik for some fun vintage clothing finds. Oh, and you can’t leave without buying some fresh food from one of the street vendors… this is making my taste buds tingle for fresh blackberries and scones… so yummy!!I also really loved Buckinghamshire which is right outside of London. It’s got a million stately homes and it’s not too touristy. Unfortunately I can’t give you too many tips for that area beaucse I had a personal tour from a friend, but it was beautiful. Salisbury is also a great place to visit: Stonehenge and the Salisbury Cathedral, plus an adorable little town!If you want to see a show while you’re there, go down to Leicester Square (it’s so much fun by itself, too) where you’ll find the TKTS booth. Also, Piccadilly Circus is amazing at night (much like Times Square)!And two pieces of random information: The British Museum is only open until 5:30pm except Thursday and Friday till 8:30pm (I found out the hard way on a Wed at 6pm); and you might consider getting an Oyster card depending on how much you will be using the tube and buses (it can make your trips much quicker beaucse you just scan the card for access).I’ve heard that the Moleskin City Guides are great for their portability, so you might like that as an additional guide.Sorry for the disorderly information, but once I got started thinking about London my brain just goes in a hundred directions remembering the sights and sounds. I know you’ll come back with equally as wonderful memories!