Get Smarter & Save the World

Melinda Wenner
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The website FreeRice.com was started with two goals in mind:

1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.

2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

Lo and behold, that's exactly what it does. When you arrive at the site, you're asked a vocabulary question (don't worry, you don't have to sign up or anything - no forms, I promise). If you answer it correctly, the site donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program; then you're asked a harder question. With each question you answer correctly, the site gives another 20 grains away. In January, the site donated a total of 4,551,581,980 grains.

The best part is, even if you get an answer wrong, you can still continue to play. And the site keeps track of how much rice you've donated in a cute little ricebowl icon to the right. You can even change your settings so that the site remembers you when you return, keeping a tally on how many grains of rice you've given since you first started playing.

So. Next time you want to procrastinate, why not increase your word knowledge and give a little something to the poor? It's that easy.

Comments

nudibranch =

Submitted by Thom K Evans on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 17:38.

sea slug. Scored with a lucky guess on that one...

 

 

The most useful thing the

Submitted by grinder on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 08:26.

The most useful thing the rice website could do is get folks to turn off their computers and get out and do something real to help their hungry neighbors. How many people who play will go to bed believing their ability to move their forefingers will somehow end hunger? I am afeared that that clicking and dragging is what many who own computers believe counts as getting involved and taking action,.  While it makes you feel good about yourself, is it doing more harm than good by making players complacent that they've done something?

 It's the difference between talking to your legislator and signing some damn email petition.

Don't be too good for a vocab game

Submitted by Irish Love on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 20:01.
I think this is a really good idea. Yes, it may not help AS much as other activities might, but it still does do something positive. No one should look down on helping on a smaller scale. It's still helping, and that's what matters.

Fun!

Submitted by Bridget Algiere on Fri, 02/22/2008 - 13:37.
When I'm sitting at a reception desk just waiting for customers or phone calls, this is a fabulous way to keep my mind occupied. And if it helps feed someone too, I think that rocks.

"The only thing constant in life is change" -François de la Rochefoucauld

Helping Here and There

Submitted by Victoria Rose on Mon, 03/17/2008 - 23:35.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for taking time out of our schedules and helping those less fortunate (I have been involved with Habitat for Humanity for years) but we do not always have enough spare time to do out and build a house. This is an excellent way to help here and there throughout the day. I contributed 2040 grains of rice between classes today and another 360 over my lunch break. Plus, I get to expand my vocabulary which is something I've always talked about but until now have never acted on... and this is much more fulfilling than scanning through the dictionary!