What More People Should Know About Fighting Hunger, According To Eitan Bernath - Exclusive
Millions of people across the world turn to Eitan Bernath to get recipe inspiration, to see the latest TikTok hack in action, or just to see his latest fashion picks. The 20-year-old food influencer delivers it all with energy and good-natured humor — he's arguably the boy next door of the internet. But Bernath wants to be so much more.
He's looking to use his massive platform to help fight for some of the most pressing issues we face today and help bring about positive change. Those include global food insecurity and hunger. Now Bernath is taking his commitment to advocacy to the next level as a High Level Supporter of the U.N. World Food Programme. The new distinction will see Bernath use his influence to spread awareness about world hunger and encourage others to get involved in the fight.
Working that closely with the cause has allowed Bernath to learn a lot about the reaches of food insecurity and what it will take to overcome this perpetual problem — one that impacts roughly 800 million people around the world, the U.N. estimates. But the good news is that organizations like WFP are able to make an impact, especially with help from the community. In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, Eitan Bernath shares the two key things he wishes more people understood about the fight against hunger and why it's something we should all be taking part in.
Small changes can make a big difference in fighting hunger
Eitan Bernath says fighting hunger is, above all else, a collective effort, something that we all have to come together and support in order to make a difference on a global scale. While some may think prestigious organizations, like the U.N.-backed World Food Programme, don't rely on community support the way smaller grassroots causes do, that's simply not the case, says Bernath.
He admits that before he started working so closely with the WFP, he "assumed they received all their funding from the United Nations." But the truth is that "they're part of the United Nations, but they don't receive their funding from the U.N. They receive their funding primarily [from] the U.S. government and private donors," explains Bernath.
He says that while "it's easy to think, 'World Food Programme, it's world, it's U.N. They must have so much money, what could my $10 do?'" that line of thinking is misguided. "The World Food Programme has a whole division whose job is to help get those donations. ... It is important," Bernath insists. Every little bit goes a long way.
Food insecurity 'takes over every facet of your life'
Just as small contributions have a big impact on the fight against hunger, improving food security for vulnerable populations has exponential effects on their quality of life. Bernath says he's come to understand just how easy it is to "forget how tiny things can have huge effects for people in every facet of life, especially in less developed countries and more economically challenged countries. ... Being food insecure takes over every facet of your life. When you're hungry, when you don't know where your next meal will come from, how can you focus on school? How can you do a good job at work?"
As Bernath puts it, "I want to be able to teach people what I've learned, which is that something as simple as someone knowing where their next meal will come from, the degree to which that changes every facet of their life, is hard to comprehend."
Learn more about the World Food Programme, World Food Program USA, and how you can join the fight to end hunger. And see the latest from Eitan Bernath by following him on TikTok.