Cargill, a World Food Program USA partner, has announced a generous donation of $1 million in honor of the United Nations World Food Programme’s Nobel Peace Prize for 2020. Cargill’s donation matches the cash award that comes with the Nobel Peace Prize and is in recognition of the organization’s courageous efforts to combat hunger, help build a world free of conflict and to prevent the use of food as a weapon of war.

Solving hunger is the greatest challenge of our lifetime. The U.N. World Food Programme estimates that the number of severely hungry people could jump to a quarter of a billion people by the end of 2020. That is why Cargill, Inc. is calling on the U.S. corporate sector to join the campaign to Stop Starvation Now and ensure that millions of severely hungry people get the food they need to survive.

“The Nobel committee could not have chosen a more deserving organization for the Nobel Peace Prize. The WFP has worked tirelessly to end systemic hunger and we are thrilled to celebrate and honor them by matching the peace prize award,” said Michelle Grogg, vice president of corporate responsibility at Cargill. “This $1 million contribution builds on our 20 year partnership to address food insecurity and advance farmer livelihoods around the world. And we encourage others to join in and support the WFP as it will take all of us working together to end systemic hunger and ensure a safe, sustainable and affordable food system for all.”

“The Nobel Peace Prize and Cargill’s generous donation is a tribute to U.N. World Food Programme staff who put their lives on the line every day to provide food and assistance to more than 100 million hungry children, women and men around the world,” said World Food Program USA President & CEO Barron Segar. “It’s a matter of life and death—literally—for millions of people edging closer to the brink of starvation. Cargill’s support is critical in saving lives and bringing hope to millions impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and those caught in the crossfires of war.”

“We are grateful to our long-standing partner, Cargill, for their significant commitment to support the U.N. World Food Programme,” said Randy Russel, World Food Program USA Board Chair. “Cargill is an excellent example of the commitment of the American agriculture industry in its generations-long support of feeding people around the world.”

A strategic partner of World Food Program USA and supporter of U.N. World Food Programme for more than 20 years, Cargill has supported a wide range of programmatic areas, including school meals, programs for smallholder farmers and disaster relief operations in many countries around the world. The U.N. World Food Programme works with partners and NGOs in some of the toughest places on earth and can only do it thanks to the support and contributions from governments, individuals and companies like Cargill.