Hoover's and Pershing's holiday dinner

When Herbert Hoover and Gen. John J. Pershing got together for dinner during the holidays of 1920, they could have ordered anything they wanted. Hoover was a successful businessman and Pershing had led U.S. forces during World War I. Instead they decided to have a basic soup with rice and bread.

The meal chosen by Hoover and Pershing was similar to that being fed in soup kitchens in Europe for hungry children. The two leaders invited others to their dinner party which ended up being a fundraiser for hunger relief in Europe.

This was just two years after World War I, and agriculture in Europe had not recovered from the massive destruction. Hunger was impacting millions and threatening lives daily. Hunger is always the enemy that holds out the longest in war, often not surrendering until years after the fighting stops.

General Pershing and Hoover were leading the fight against post war hunger in Europe. Their dinner table included an empty chair which symbolized an "invisible guest," one of the hungry children. Their dinner plan was duplicated in other cities so more fundraising could take place.

The "invisible guest" dinners led to millions of dollars in funds to feed starving children. It represented a true holiday spirit of helping those less fortunate. This fundraising supported the heroic efforts of charities and the American Relief Administration, which saved many lives from starvation in Europe.

Today each of us can follow the example of Hoover and Gen. Pershing and make feeding the hungry part of your holiday celebration. Each one of us could have an empty chair symbolizing the invisible guest, and this time it could represent one the starving children in Somalia.

Severe drought has led to massive food shortages in Somalia. “What we’re seeing on the ground is beyond tragic,” says Rebecca Hallam, a Catholic Relief Services officer for Somalia. “People are dying from starvation, many of whom are women and children.”

You could host a fundraiser at your holiday meal to help feed Somalia, as well as neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia who are also suffering hunger from the drought.

In Yemen, a civil war had led to a massive hunger crisis impacting over 17 million people. The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) is short on funding for Yemen relief and diplomacy has failed to end the war. Hunger will continue to impact millions in Yemen until a peace treaty and reconstruction can occur.

And this warning from the U.N. World Food Program “The number of hungry people in West and Central Africa is projected to reach an all-time high of 48 million people (including 9 million children) next year if urgent and long-lasting solutions to address this crisis are not delivered soon.”

Severe hunger has escalated worldwide because of conflict, climate change and the pandemic. With so many nations at risk of famine we need the help of everyone to save lives and provide stability and hope for the poor. You can provide leadership like Hoover and Pershing did during the holidays of 1920, raising donations and encouraging others to get involved.

William Lambers is an author who partnered with the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) on the book Ending World Hunger.