Early on during the pandemic, Dan Berger started on a national dish cooking journey that would last over three years.

“I got tired of my usual routine pretty quickly and started to venture out and explore some dishes I hadn’t seen before. After having Matoke, Uganda’s national dish, I decided I was going to do every last one in the world.”

But what started out as a fun quarantine activity ended up becoming the focal point for a massive fundraiser addressing global food insecurity. On his website, 197plates.com, you can see each and every dish he’s made and be part of the food security effort by donating directly or participating in the #cooklikeyouCARE challenge, which asks “Who has the best rice dish in the world?”. 

It is estimated that one person dies of hunger every four seconds worldwide, and the combination of the pandemic with the crisis in Ukraine has pushed an additional 200 million more people into acute food insecurity.

“There is a global hunger crisis going on right now, and I couldn’t think of a better way to raise awareness than to connect it to the completion of my national dish journey.”

To highlight the urgency of this crisis, Dan partnered with CARE and matched $100,000 of donations – with Dan’s contribution, the campaign has raised over a quarter million dollars.

CARE is a nonprofit whose mission is to eradicate global poverty with a core focus on women and girls. CARE’s programs impact close to 100 million people in about 100 different countries each year.  The organization has launched a massive food security response, prioritizing 17 of the most deeply affected countries. CARE’s work will incorporate immediate food security and nutritional assistance, accelerated agriculture training and inputs for smallholder farmers (especially women farmers), and rallying key stakeholders in the food security and nutrition arena to prevent repeat crises.

“CARE has been my number one for a long time, and I think the gravity of this crisis really necessitates a special kind of commitment.  Food has always been close to my heart, and I hope this journey can bring people together and inspire them to join this cause to support millions of people in truly dire circumstances.”

Individuals can donate at www.care.org/cooklikeyouCARE. To join the community of people fighting to end global hunger, you can show off your favorite rice dish to social media and tag it with #cooklikeyouCARE, and say why this effort is important to you. If you need inspiration on what to make, Dan has catalogued the recipes for every dish used on his website, 197plates.com.  Search by ingredient, country, or type of dish to find your favorite!

You can also check out over three years of Dan’s international cooking on Instagram, @bergershot or TikTok @bergershot0.