2012 Public Events
World Food Prize Week - October 14-19, 2012
The following is a schedule of events open free to the public during the annual World Food Prize week of events October 14-19, 2012. Join the discussion on food security and ending hunger and poverty worldwide. Click on the links below to learn more.
ALL WEEK
World Food Prize Laureate Lecture Series
William Penn | Simpson | Grinnell | Iowa State | Science Center | DMU | Grand View | Drake
Past World Food Prize Laureates and other experts will speak at institutions and university campuses across Iowa.
The World Food Prize Laureate Lecture Series offers audiences throughout Iowa the opportunity to engage with its message of improving the quality, quantity, and availability of food throughout the world. All lectures are free and open to the public.
For a complete list of lectures, click here.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14
Hall Of Laureates Open House
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
The World Food Prize Hall of Laureates
100 Locust Street
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The World Food Prize Hall of Laureates will welcome community members to view its $29.8 million renovation and restoration during a Public Open House on Sunday, October 14, from noon until 4:00 p.m.
Docents will be on-site to share the stories of the artwork depicting Iowa’s humanitarian and agricultural history as well as the work of Laureates worldwide.
Visitors will be able to admire the restored architecture and new green energy features of the former Des Moines Public Library building, which has now become an educational center and the headquarters of the World Food Prize Foundation.
For more information about the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates, please click here.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14
Des Moines Area Hunger Hike
1:30 PM
Gather on the steps at the east entrance of the Hall of Laureates between Walnut and Locust.
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Coinciding with World Hunger Week and the awarding of the World Food Prize, the Des Moines Area Hunger Hike is an annual hike that individuals and groups may hike together as visible witness to their concern about hunger among fellow humans, having made prior collections from friends and neighbors to give tangible evidence of this concern.
The Des Moines Area Hunger Hike was established in 1969 to increase awareness and concern about local and world-wide hunger and its causes, as well as to raise funds to be used by non-profit agencies and programs to help alleviate hunger.
During the past twenty-two years, over $900,000 has been provided by the Hunger Hike to local and international organizations for food purposes- an average of more than $41,000 per year.
To learn more about the Des Moines Area Hunger Hike or to make donation, visit http://www.desmoineshungerhike.org/. To get involved in the Hike or to obtain collection envelopes call 279-1106.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14
The Bryant Park String Quartet - Public Concert
2:00 PM
The Des Moines Art Center
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The Bryant Park Quartet will perform at 2:00 p.m. at the Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, on Sunday, October 14. The event will be free and open to the public.
Through events such as this award-winning string quartet performance, the World Food Prize strives to bring diverse cultural events to the Des Moines community.
Based in New York City, the Bryant Park Quartet (Anna Elashvili and Ben Russell, violins, Nathan Schram, viola, and Tomoko Fujita, cello) delights audiences across the country. The BPQ has established itself as an accomplished string quartet as a prizewinner in the 2012 Hugo Kauder International Music Competition and with its series "The rEvolving Ear," which highlights connections between established works and composers and contemporary works, so as to inspire appreciation for historical works as well as to inspire new paths of listening.
The Bryant Park Quartet is dedicated to connecting with communities through creative education and outreach, impacting schools and community programs with its unique approach to music instruction.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14
Oxfam America and the Des Moines Area Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors Potluck
In Celebration of World Food Day
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
First Unitarian Church of Des Moines
1800 Bell Avenue
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For this potluck, Oxfam America and the Des Moines Area Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors are challenging everyone to bring a dish that they buy or prepare that contributes to a more just and sustainable food system in one of five ways: reducing waste, investing in small-scale farmers, eating seasonally, using a little less meat or dairy, or cooking efficiently. Please come ready to share your food story. For more information about this concept go to the GROW method.
Oxfam America has brought together a diverse group of American women leaders as Sisters on the Planet to raise awareness about hunger, poverty, and climate change, especially as they affect women worldwide. Three of the World Food Prize staff members are co-hosting the event as Des Moines area Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors: Bian Li, Judith Pim, and Maura Walsh. To learn more about Oxfam America and the Sisters on the Planet initiative, please click here.
These organizations request that guests RSVP here.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16
The Iowa Hunger Summit
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
The Des Moines Marriott Downtown
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The Iowa Hunger Summit, celebrating its 6th anniversary this year, seeks to gather leaders from across the state representing community organizations, businesses, governmental bodies, social agencies, churches and religious communities, schools and universities, and other groups that lead or participate in projects to confront hunger. This grassroots event is free and open to the public.
The Iowa Hunger Summit includes a full day of speakers, breakout sessions, and the annual Hunger Luncheon, which features only foods used in hunger relief efforts. We will also share this year’s data collected on Iowans’ contributions in the battle to end hunger: money raised, volunteer hours worked, and pounds of food donated.
This year's luncheon keynote speaker is Howard G. Buffett of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
For more details, including reporting and registration forms, click here.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16
Interfaith Service to Celebrate Dr. Daniel Hillel's Contributions to Peace and Understanding
4:00 PM Service Commences
St. John's Lutheran Church
600 6th Avenue
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The interfaith service is organized by members of Iowa's religious community.
Dr. Daniel Hillel will be awarded the 2012 World Food Prize for his role in conceiving and implementing a radically new mode of bringing water to crops in arid and dry land regions, known as "micro-irrigation".
Dr. Hillel's pioneering scientific work in Israel revolutionized food production, first in the Middle East, and then in other regions around the world over the past five decades. His work increased crop yields while maximizing efficient water usage and minimizing environmental degradation.
Through his work, Dr. Hillel united people from all cultures and walks of life, building peace on a foundation of food and water security for all.
WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17-19
The Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium
Live online via webcast
The 2012 "Borlaug Dialogue" international symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, will focus on the theme “The Next Generation: Confronting the Hunger Challenges of Tomorrow.” It will bring more than 1,000 visitors from more than 70 countries to Des Moines to address cutting-edge issues in food security and nutrition. A number of the Borlaug Dialogue sessions will be webcast live, available free to the public to watch.
More information coming soon.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18
The World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony
7:00 PM
Live on Iowa Public Television and via webcast
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The World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony is held in the magnificent Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines, Iowa. The ceremony rivals that of the Nobel Prize, drawing more than 800 honored guests. Each year, world-class performers take the stage to honor the World Food Prize Laureates, and the event is televised on Iowa Public Television and webcast live online at www.worldfoodprize.org/webcast.
This year's World Food Prize will be awarded to Dr. Daniel Hillel of Israel, for conceiving and implementing a radically new mode of bringing water to crops in arid and dry-land regions - known as "micro-irrigation." Dr. Hillel has worked in more than 30 countries and his irrigation technology is now used to produce nutritious food on more than 6 million hectares worldwide, impacting millions of people.
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Click here to download our 2012 World Food Prize public events flyer.
Please feel free to share with friends and colleagues.
