menuforhope

Menu For Hope winner, please get in touch!

maki — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:46:52 +0100

Just a quick note here: If you are the Kristina Johnson who won the Just Hungry Menu For Hope prize EU25 (check the winners' list) please get in touch via the contact form :)

Menu For Hope VI: Just Hungry Offers a Taste of Japan Plus

maki — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:15:00 +0100

Menu for Hope is an annual fundraising campaign in which food bloggers and their friends around the world participate, that takes place around this time of year. It was originated and is still hosted by Pim of Chez Pim, and this year’s host for the Europe region is David Lebovitz (you can check out the complete list of Menu For Hope offerings from European bloggers here). Just Hungry has contributed a raffle item for Menu For Hope for the past 3 years, and I’m happy to do so again this year.

Once again, this year’s Menu For Hope will raise funds for the United Nations World Food Programme, an organization that is close to my heart (as you can see from the link on every single page of this site). You can read more about Menu For Hope itself on Chez Pim’s Menu For Hope VI page.

Just Hungry offers a box of Japanese goodies

Bid Item Number: EU-25 (note that down!)

Early next year, I’ll be spending several months in Japan. So you get to take full advantage of this! If you bid on item no. EU-25, you will have a chance to win a box of Japanese delicacies personally selected by me, with a monetary value of at least US $100. You can tell me what you want — whether you want a lot of wacky Japanese candy, or you want to try out some top notch konbu for your dashi. Or you could just leave it up to me.

In other words, if you come to Just Hungry for the Japanese recipes, this is your chance to get a box full of the best Japanese edibles!

Plus: The winner will also get a signed copy of my upcoming book, The Just Bento Cookbook, when it comes out in mid-2010, hot off the presses! Read more about the book here.

A few caveats and so on

The package will be sent to you by the beginning of April 2010. The book will be sent separately, when it’s published.
Nothing perishable can be sent - no raw fish, pickles, miso, namagashi, and so on.
I’ll pay the shipping costs of course, but any customs charges must be paid by the recipient.
If the package is very heavy (e.g. has a whole bag of rice or something) it may be shipped via sea mail. If it’s normally light, it will be shipped by air.
The package can be shipped worldwide, but if your country has any specific restrictions it is up to you to tell me in advance. I cannot be responsible if anything gets confiscated by customs or stolen by neighbors!

How to bid

Please note the bid item number for this package: EU-25. (You can of course bid on other items offered - check the list on the Menu For Hope main page. If you’re interested in an equally great box of bento box and bento accessories, consider the offering from Just Bento (item no. EU-26)!)
Go to the Firstgiving Menu For Hope page. (Update: If for some reason you are having trouble with the Firstgiving site, there is also a Menu For Hope donation form.)
Please specify which bid item you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write in how many tickets per bid item. Please use the bid item code!
Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a bid item of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU-25 and 3 tickets for EU-26, or 1 ticket each for EU-04, EU-10, and so on.
If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so that the corporate match can be claimed.
Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that you can be contacted if you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

Note that the bidding takes place between December 14th and December 25th. The winner will be announced on Chez Pim on January 18th. I’ll also announce the winner here on this site, at which time he or she should contact me.

So, there you go! Donate to a great cause, for a chance to win a box of great goodies, plus a book to help you use some of it! How can you go wrong?

Are you a Menu For Hope winner?

maki — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:15:18 +0100

Did you win prize EU01 of Menu For Hope V? If so, you still haven't gotten in touch! Please do so via here.

Two more days left for Menu For Hope V!

maki — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:24:31 +0100

[Update:] Menu For Hope has been extended to December 31st!

I’ve been sick with a cold since Friday. You know the usual stuff - headache, feverish, coughing, and above all that overwhelming grumpiness and desire to make the lives of everyone in my immediate vicinity (or, ‘meatspace’ as the hip kids call it) as miserable as I feel. In this kind of mood, the last thing I want to do is to go out and do any last-minute holiday shopping.

Maybe you feel the same way (about the shopping, hopefully not the cold part). The last couple of days before Christmas should be spent in your cozy home, decorating your kids, hugging your presents, and wrapping your tree. Or do I have that confused… Anywho, to take care of those last, difficult-to-shop-for people on your list, how about giving them a raffle ticket or two for Menu For Hope? If you need something to hand to them physically, Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy, this year’s Europe host, has made some great printable ‘coupons’ and a 1-page explanation of the Menu For Hope program(me).

I’ve checked over the prizes from Just Hungry and Just Bento, and I think (though my eyes are so blurry they are a bit unreliable) that you still have pretty good odds for all 3 of them.

I’d especially like to draw the attention of European readers to EU01, the 50 GBP box of Japanese food goodies from Japan Centre. Think about it - you get to put together a selection of Japanese food with me, the self-styled Japanese food expert-type person, as well as the Tokumine family who own Japan Centre, as your virtual guides! If you’ve ever been to a Japanese grocery store and stood there flummoxed by what you see, or just grabbed something and taken it home to find out you don’t know what to do with it…or that was just wierd, this is the prize for you.

And yes, for all you chocolate fans out there, what can be better than a bar of Swiss chocolate for a whole year (or, a bar per week)? That would be prize code EU02. Details for prizes EU01 and EU02 are here.

And last but not least, if you want to kit yourself out with cool bento gear, or indeed anything cute/cool/odd from Japan that J-List sells, and get your hands on some bento books that I can vouch for personally (one of them even translated to English!) then EU03 is the one for you. Details for EU03 here.

So! Get thee over to the instructions page, click around a few minutes to take care of last-minute shopping, and relax back home with that towel draped over your head over a steaming bowl of sinus-clearing menthol water. Ahh, bliss.

Menu For Hope V: It's on!

maki — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:53:33 +0100

[Update:] Menu For Hope has been extended to December 31st!

Menu For Hope is an annual fundraising event, now in its 5th year, contributed to by food bloggers around the world. Last year, nearly US $100,000.00 was raised for the United Nations World Food Programme, to benefit the school lunch programme in Lesotho, Africa.

Menu For Hope’s creator and head organizer is Pim of Chez Pim, and this year’s regional Europe host is Sara of Ms. Adventures In Italy.

I’m happy to announce that Just Hungry is once again offering raffle prizes for Menu For Hope V. This year, we have two!

Raffle Code EU01: A Japanese food package worth 50 GBP from JapanCentre.com

Anyone who lives in the UK and is interested in Japanese food knows about Japan Centre, the great family-run Japanese food store (not to mention travel agency, bookstore, restaurant, recruitment centre…it’s a mini-Japanese conglomerate!) located in the hub of the action at Piccadilly Circus. They also have a terrific mailorder service. I’ve been a loyal customer myself for some time now. This prize is a 50 GBP (that’s British Pounds) value package of Japanese food products from Japan Centre online catalogue. I’ll select a good mix in consultation with Japan Centre, taking the winner’s wishes into account of course.

This prize can be sent to any country in Europe where Japan Centre delivers. Please check the list on this page to see if your country is eligible.

A big thanks to Simon Tokumine of Japan Centre for donating this great prize!

Raffle Code EU02: The Return Of The Big Box Of Swiss Chocolate

If you aren’t in Europe, there is no need to go away disappointed. This prize was very popular last year, and it’s back! The lucky winner will get 52 bars of Swiss chocolate. Yes that’s right, that’s one for every week of the year. The stack you see in the photo is just a representation, not the actual bars, because of course they will be procured just before shipping for maximum freshness. And, the winner’s tastes will be taken into account of course. No two bars will be the same! Yes, in Switzerland this is more than possible! (No, I’m not talking about candy bars, these are real chocolate bars.)

This prize can be delivered anywhere in the world. However, please check your country’s requirements regarding receiving gifts of food from overseas to avoid disappointment.

How to Bid for a Prize

Note down one of the prize codes above, either EU01 or EU02. Check out the great prize offered on Just Bento too. Or choose another prize from the list at Chez Pim, or the regional European list at Ms. Adventures In Italy.
Go to the donation site at First Giving and make a donation.
Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. You must specify which prize you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02 and so on.
If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
Please allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

The last day for donations has been extended to December 31.

I know that this is a tough holiday season for a lot of us, but just keep in mind that there are many people, especially children, around the world that are in far worse situations than most of us are. For as little as $10, you not only would be donating to a great cause, but you could win something great, for yourself or a loved one!

Good luck and thank you to everyone who enters!

Menu For Hope raffle results

maki — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:43:55 +0100

The raffle results for Menu For Hope have been announced on Chez Pim. This year, $91,188.00 was raised. Wow. Thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets, and to my fellow food bloggers who offered such a great variety of prizes - a collective pat on our well padded backs!

The winner of the Just Hungry prize of a box of 53 bars of Swiss chocolate is Sonja. Sonja please get in touch with me at maki at makikoitoh dot com so we can discuss the where, how and whats of your prize. (I will not, however, be responsible for Sonja’s dental bills at the end of the year :))

Last day for Menu For Hope, and Happy Holidays

maki — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:18:19 +0100

This is the very last day you can donate to Menu For Hope! And a nice bonus - take a look at the beautiful poem about Lesotho here by Rethabile. (Yes, if you also read Just Bento you’re getting this in double…but it’s a poem worth visiting more than once!)

Just Bento and Just Hungry (which is mostly me anyway) are taking a few days off to take care of a ton of offline duties. (Thank you for your nice emails…we’re hanging in around here.)

We decided not to get a tree this year, so the only Christmas decoration of sorts we have up is this wallhanging/advent calendar, that I finally finished last week.

In this day and age when things I have made or worked on exist only in digital form, it’s really grounding and satisfying to create something that has a physical form and presence, that I can touch and hold. That includes food too. There’s nothing better than the warm feeling you get when your friends and family’s faces light up when you present them with delicious food that you made with your own hands. Especially around the holidays.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Menu for Hope IV: Think Chocolate

maki — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:03:39 +0100

Just Hungry is happy to announce that once again, we’re donating a prize for Menu For Hope, now in its 4th year. Menu for Hope is an annual charity event contributed to by food bloggers around the world. It was instigated by Pim of Chez Pim, and this year’s regional European host is Fanny of foodbeam.

Menu For Hope IV will benefit the United Nations World Food Programme; this year’s donations have been earmarked for the school lunch programme in Lesotho, Africa.

The Just Hungry prize: A Leap Year’s Worth of Swiss Chocolate

The code for the Just Hungry prize is EU13. Note that down!

In case you hadn’t noticed, the current JHHQ is in beautiful, tranquil Switzerland. What is Switzerland known for? Heidi? Alps? Yodelers? Crazy dadaists? Discreet bankers? Modern architects? Cheese? Unfortunately none of those things can be shipped too far (or too easily). But chocolate can. 53 full size bars of Swiss chocolate, in fact (52 plus 1 for leap year) could be yours by bidding on EU13. They will be from local and small producers as well as popular brands; artisanal as well as a few mass market. All Swiss made, mostly varieties not sold outside of Switzerland, and all tested for quality at JH HQ. And, unless you have many dietary restrictions, 53 different kinds. (Yes, they make hundreds of different kinds of chocolate bars here.)

And that’s not all! This prize will be personally selected. The winner will be able to let us know in advance if they have any dietary or taste restrictions, such as nut allergies, a dislike for white chocolate, etc., within reason.

The approximate monetary value of this prize package is US $250.

The photo shows just a small representative selection of chocolates that you might get.

Important Fine Print

Shipping will be prepaid, and the box will be sent as a gift. In most cases you should not have to pay any duties - or if so they will be minimal. We’ve sent many similar packages to various countries around the world and have never had problems. In the event that there are any duties, they will be the responsibility of the recipient.

Special note for U.S. residents: Due to the uncertainties of what customs or Homeland Security’s policies du jour are, we would prefer to ship the prize to you in the first quarter of 2008 when one of us will be going to the U.S., unless you specify otherwise.

How to bid

Go to the donation page at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope4.
Make a donation! Each $10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice.
Please specify which prize you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. The prize code for the Just Hungry package is EU13. Please specify which prize or prizes you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. Specify how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code - for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU13 and 3 for EU14. Be sure to check the “I am happy for the page owner to see my email address …” box at the bottom! This will allow the organizers to contact winners.

Here’s an example:

The deadline for donating is December 21.
Check back on Chez Pim on January 9 when the result of the raffle will be announced.

Last year, Menu For Hope raised an amazing $62,925. I hope you will take the time this year to donate to a very worthy cause, with a chance to indulge yourself with Swiss chocolate for the whole year!

And, if 2008 will perchance be a year of abstinence and healthy eating for you, perhaps you’ll be interested in the bento-supplies-galore package being offered by Just Bento….or donate for both! You can also check out the list of great prizes offered by Europe-based food bloggers, or complete worldwide list.

Calling Menu For Hope winner "johanna"!

maki — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:10:58 +0100

Quick note: The winners of the Menu For Hope prizes have been announced! If you're the "johanna" that won EU07 (the hamper) please contact me so we can arrange things. :)

Menu For Hope III: Last day, last chance

maki — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 10:32:32 +0100

Just a short reminder: Menu For Hope III bidding ends at 6 PM PST, which translates to 3 AM tomorrow morning (the 23rd) for those of us in the CET, midnight EST, 2 AM in Britain, 4 AM in Eastern Europe, etc. More than $46,000 has been raised already for the World Food Programme - sure to go over $50,000 don't you think? Bid on my Food Hamper (fortified with even more nutritious and restorative Swiss chocolate, of course), or any of the other fabulous prizes offered by food bloggers in Europe and around the world. If you fancy a box of goodies, edible and otherwise, arriving at your door, consult this terrific list put together by Kat of Kungfoodie of prizes that can be shipped around the world (the list includes, of course, The Hamper).

Good luck everyone, and thank you for donating to such a worthy cause!