Look To The Stars News: World Hunger Year

Hard Rock Serves Up John Lennon For Charity

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Last week, Look To The Stars brought you the news that Yoko Ono had donated John Lennon’s Give Peace A Chance to charity. Now we can reveal that she has also donated another of the singer’s songs to another charity campaign.

The World Hunger Year (WHY), along with Hard Rock Cafe, has released Serve4, the latest in their series of albums designed to fight hunger around the world. Yoko Ono has donated John Lennon’s Gimme Some Truth to the album.

“This is a beautiful step towards world peace,” she said. “By imagining there’s no hunger, like what John sang in his song, we express our strong desire to bring a world in which children will never again suffer from hunger or poverty. Let’s come together and help spread this message around the world. John would have loved the fact that so many illustrious and good meaning partners and organizations have stood up to make this effort together.”

It is the second time Ono has donated one of Lennon’s songs to Hard Rock’s Imagine There’s No Hunger campaign and Serve CDs.

100% of net proceeds from Hard Rock’s campaign will directly benefit WHY and its grassroots partners around the globe, that have developed ways to feed children worldwide who are victims of poverty and also teach them farming and entrepreneurial skills for the future. Proceeds will be donated directly to WHY to benefit local charities, including the Common Ground Foundation and Pathfinder Academy both located in Kenya, the Pattanarak Foundation located in Thailand, City of Joy located in India, the Yéle Haiti Foundation located in Haiti, Hope North located in Uganda, Roots and Shoots located in China, Project Bona Fide located in Nicaragua and Sentabale located in Lesotho.

“Hard Rock has been a longtime supporter of WHY, and I’ve seen firsthand how the organization helps to make a difference around the world,” said Hamish Dodds, President and CEO, Hard Rock International, and Global Ambassador for WHY. “We are proud to continue to support WHY’s life-saving efforts, in hopes that one day, we will have a world without hunger and poverty.”

The track list of Serve4 is as follows:

John Lennon “Gimme Some Truth”
O.A.R. “Lay Down”
Brandi Carlile “If There Was No You”
Starsailor “Listen Up”
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint “The River In Reverse”
Earth, Wind & Fire / Chicago “You”
Eric Hutchinson “OK, It’s Alright With Me”
The Low Anthem “Home I’ll Never Be”
Arno Carstens “Heartbreak Monday”
Brett Dennen “Heaven”
Toby Lightman “One Day”
moe. “Wicked Awesome”
The Raveonettes “Oh I Buried You Today”
Uncle Kracker “Smile”

In addition to SERVE4, beginning November 9th, Hard Rock locations around the globe will offer IMAGINE THERE’S NO HUNGER merchandise, including a limited-edition bracelet and pin to benefit WHY.

A charity event held in New York to launch the CD last week attracted a plethora of famous supporters, including Ringo Starr.

“You get so many invites every day to do stuff,” said Starr. “When I read the statistics of this, it just blew me away. So I thought, why not? How hard is it to do something? Because it is of some value, you give your name to great causes.”

The 14-track Serve4 is available as a download card at Hard Rock locations and at hardrock.com and as a download with five bonus tracks at Amazon ($8.99 or 99 cents a track). Cafe patrons who add a $1 donation to a meal tab receive an Imagine bracelet.

Sopranos Star Rocks The Hard Rock For Charity

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Sopranos star Vincent Pastore will host a special event for World Hunger Year (WHY) tonight, October 22.

WHY Guys Rock The Hard Rock will kick off the 2009 Hungerthon at the Hard Rock Cafe on Times Square with a huge number of bands and performers. From 6pm till midnight the stage will be quaking with bands such as Gary US Bonds, Willie Nile, Jackie Martling, La Dolce Vita with Michael Imperioli, Joe D’Urso and Stone Caravan, Tom Chapin, Jen Chapin, Big John Wallace, Chris Brown and Bookends, Kate Taylor, and The Bada Bing Boys with Vin Pastore himself … plus some surprise guests.

WHY was formed in 1975 by Bill Ayres, a radio talk-show host, and singer/songwriter Harry Chapin. Chapin’s daughter, Jen, who features in tonight’s concert, said that her father “saw hunger and poverty as an insult to America”. Many of his concerts were benefit performances for the 82 charities he was known to support, and the sales of all his concert merchandise were donated directly to WHY. At the time of his death in 1981, it was discovered that Chapin had donated almost all of his personal fortune to charity. Today, WHY is an international non-profit organization that connects grass roots charities to funding expertise and publicity.

Tickets are $50 for general admission.

Bruce Springsteen Donates Tickets To World Hunger Year

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Bruce Springsteen is set to be one of the last acts to ever play at Giants Stadium, and now is your chance to bid on tickets to help charity.

Springsteen and the E Street Band will hit the stage at the stadium on October 3, and tickets sold out in a matter of minutes to this exclusive event. However, The Boss is giving you the chance to pick up special tickets for some of the best seating.

Proceeds from the auction will go to World Hunger Year (WHY), an organization formed in 1975 by Bill Ayres, a radio talk-show host, and singer/songwriter Harry Chapin. Chapin saw hunger and poverty as an insult to America. Many of his concerts were benefit performances for the 82 charities he was known to support, and the sales of all his concert merchandise were donated directly to WHY. At the time of his death in 1981, it was discovered that Chapin had donated almost all of his personal fortune to charity. Today, WHY is an international non-profit organization that connects grass roots charities to funding expertise and publicity.

Auction winners will also receive a WHY-Hard Rock Born In The USA 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Tee-shirt, Lapel Pin and Hat.

The auction runs until June 29 and can be accessed here.

Wyclef Jean To Be Honored By World Hunger Year

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Wyclef Jean will receive a special award for helping impoverished communities at this year’s World Hunger Year (WHY) Chapin awards.

The awards – which will take place at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in New York City tonight, June 8 – will honor Jean’s work in his native Haiti to aid the poverty-stricken country.

WHY was formed in 1975 by Bill Ayres, a radio talk-show host, and singer/songwriter Harry Chapin. Chapin saw hunger and poverty as an insult to America. Many of his concerts were benefit performances for the 82 charities he was known to support, and the sales of all his concert merchandise were donated directly to WHY. At the time of his death in 1981, it was discovered that Chapin had donated almost all of his personal fortune to charity. Today, WHY is an international non-profit organization that connects grass roots charities to funding expertise and publicity.

Wyclef Jean’s award will be presented by Harry Belafonte.

John Lennon Serves Up Song For Charity CD

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Hot on the heels of John Lennon’s charity TV advertisements for lap tops, Hard Rock International is proud to announce the launch of its 2008 global “Imagine There’s No Hunger” campaign to benefit WHY, a nonprofit organization that strives to fight against hunger and poverty in America and around the world.

Setting the foundation for the “Imagine There’s No Hunger” campaign, artist and musician Yoko Ono has graciously donated her late husband John Lennon’s inspirational song “Give Peace A Chance” to the SERVE3 compilation. The CD will also include rare, new or previously unreleased tracks from some of music’s most influential artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Joss Stone, Avril Lavigne, Starsailor, My Morning Jacket and more. SERVE3 will be available at Hard Rock locations around the world and on www.hardrock.com, with digital downloads available at iTunes.com.

“I am glad that WHY is using John’s lyrics to communicate the seriousness of this issue to the world,” said Yoko Ono. “Let’s all work together to make a world without hunger as soon as humanly possible. We owe this battle to our children. WAR IS OVER if you want it. In brotherhood and sisterhood.”

The “Imagine There’s No Hunger” campaign also includes a charity bracelet, as well as a limited-edition pin and holiday ornament, featuring John Lennon’s famous self-portrait and signature. All net proceeds from the campaign will be donated directly to WHY to benefit grassroots efforts in Kenya, Haiti, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, Venezuela and New Orleans.

More info can be found here.

Springsteen Serves Again For World Hunger Year

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Bruce Springsteen has once again donated a song to the World Hunger Year organization for a new benefit CD.

Serve3 is the third installment of the album that features rare and unreleased tracks released by Hard Rock International to help fight world hunger and poverty. The CD features performances by some of rock’s biggest selling artists, as well as Grammy winners and critically acclaimed musicians.

Joining Springsteen in donating songs for Serve3 is Joss Stone, Avril Lavigne, DMC, and The Chapin Sisters – the three nieces of the late folk singer Harry Chapin, who formed World Hunger Year in 1975 because he “saw hunger and poverty as an insult to America”. Chapin – who died in 1981 – donated all of the proceeds from his concert merchandise to World Hunger Year, and gave almost all of his personal fortune away to the 81 charities he was known to support.

Serve3 is available in both CD and digital formats, with 7 bonus tracks available when purchased from iTunes. The full tracklist is:

Bruce Springsteen Remember When The Music
Joss Stone Love Has Made You Beautiful
My Morning Jacket Look At You
Avril Lavigne When You’re Gone
Robert Randolph and The Family Band Diane
The Charlatans Complete Control
Ryan Shaw People Get Ready
Marc Broussard Keep Coming Back
Starsailor Military Madness
Micki Free Mother Earth
DMC I Be Rockin’ It
The Chapin Sisters I Know It’s Over
John Lennon Give Peace A Chance

Digital Bonus Tracks:

Dave Barnes On a Night Like This
Toby Lightman Color
The Brilliant Mistakes Becoming
Middle Distance Runner I Hope You’re Upset
Scott Barnhill Heaven
Lisa Bouchelle Time
The Dead Trees Jew Said Grace

Join the Hard Rock Imagine There’s No Hunger campaign by purchasing the album at the Serve3 website.

Springsteen Shows His Heart

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:13:18 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Bruce Springsteen recently showed a young special needs boy at one of his concerts exactly why he is still one of the biggest and best acts in rock.

Charity Buzz, an online auction site, is currently selling tickets to a number of Springsteen’s shows in a giant, ongoing auction to raise funds for Musicians on Call and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, and the 58-year-old superstar took time out from one of his concerts to meet a winning bidder last week. The rocker left the stage during his show at the Toyota Center in Houston, Dallas, on April 14 to talk with the boy, who was confined to a wheelchair. The boy’s mother, who cried tears of happiness over the singer’s generous act, said he shared a conversation with her son and had his photo taken with the young fan.

The concert took place just a few days before the death of Spingsteen’s longtime keyboardist, Danny Federici, who passed away from melanoma on April 17 at the age of 58.

“Danny and I worked together for 40 years – he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician,” said Springsteen. “I loved him very much…we grew up together.”

As well as raising funds for Musicians on Call and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund through his auctions, Springsteen is also set to play some spectacular benefit gigs over the next few weeks. The first of these will take place at the Greensboro Coliseum on April 28, and will raise money for Project Green Leaf, an organization dedicated to sustaining local agriculture by strengthening community between farmers and consumers. The singer heard about the cause through the World Hunger Year organization, which he has supported for a number of years. As well as collecting money for the cause on the night, Springsteen has also donated tickets to the show to a charity auction being held over at www.charityfolks.com.

Springsteen will also perform a benefit concert at the Count Basie Theatre in New Jersey on Wednesday, May 7, to benefit the historic Count Basie Theatre and help offset the cost of the renovation and restoration of the theatre that will begin this summer. A portion of the concert proceeds will also support other programs and operations at the Theatre. Springsteen’s wife and bandmate, Patti Scialfa, serves on the Board of the Basie Foundation and as Honorary Chair of the Capital Campaign.

“We are excited that Bruce Springsteen will be performing a benefit concert and deeply appreciate his willingness to help preserve and restore the Basie,” said Rusty Young, CEO of the Basie Foundation.

Tickets are available to the public through an online “Make Your Best Offer” auction at www.countbasietheatrefoundation.org.

Springsteen has also thrown his substantial musical weight behind the Barack Obama presidential campaign.

“He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President,” said Springsteen. “He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.”

I guess you could say that Springsteen thinks Obama was “born to run” the country.

Bruce Springsteen Brings His Human Touch To Charity Auction

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:59:54 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The Boss is back, and he is doing his part to help the hungry.

Bruce Springsteen has donated four tickets to his concert on April 30 in Charlottesville to an auction to benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, an organization that serves over 129,000 needy people every year in the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia.

The food bank is also holding a virtual food drive before and after Springsteen’s appearance at Charlottesville’s John Paul Jones Arena, and donations can be made at www.brafb.org between April 14 and May 3.

Feeding the hungry is a cause Springsteen takes seriously, and he has been a long-term supporter of World Hunger Year’s Artists Against Hunger and Poverty program, an initiative that brings performers together to support hunger relief organizations across North America.

Anyone interested in taking part in the auction can visit www.brafb.org or www.charityfolks.com/bruce.

Bono's Fishy T-Shirt Benefits African Farmers

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:41:01 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Bono has designed a new T-shirt for charity, joining a host of other celebrities in an on-going and major charity campaign.

The 47-year-old singer from U2 is the 25th artist to design a shirt for Hard Rock Café’s Signature Series clothing line, an initiative started in 1990 as a way for musicians to raise money for charities of their choice. Sales from the shirts have raised over $6 million for a variety of causes.

Bono’s creation, available for $26 from the Hard Rock website, features his stylized drawing of a fish soaring past the moon, and is adorned with the words “Fish Can Fly”, as well as his signature. 15% of the proceeds will go to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Conservation Cotton initiative – a scheme designed to lift African farmers out of poverty by providing education on proper land management, organic cotton growing techniques, and wildlife conservation. The shirts will also support the trade for aid ethos of EDUN, the conscious consumerism fashion label founded by Bono and his wife in 2005, by being made from 100% African cotton and manufactured by African garment workers.

Other artists to have designed shirts for the initiative in the past include Green Day, who raised money for Amnesty International’s Campaign To Save Darfur, Shakira who chose to benefit Pies Descalzos, Ozzy Osbourne for the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program, Bruce Springsteen for World Hunger Year, Eric Clapton for the Crossroads Centre, Peter Gabriel for Witness, Sting and Elton John for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Michael Stipe for Artists for a New South Africa, Don Henley for the Walden Woods Project, John Mellencamp for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, and Stevie Nicks for the Special Olympics. Carlos Santana and Aerosmith have also contributed designs. Many of these shirts are still available from the Hard Rock website.

Bono’s “Fish Can Fly” is more than just a phrase – it is a message that tomorrow can be better than today.

Musicians Offer A Second Serve For Charity

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:49:53 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

An eclectic gathering of veteran rockers and new artists are featured on a new CD released this month to help fight world hunger and poverty.

Serve2 is a collection of rare and previously unreleased tracks released by Hard Rock International to benefit World Hunger Year (WHY), a leading organization in the fight against hunger and poverty.

The CD, which follows a similar release earlier in 2007, features live, studio, acoustic, and electric performances by some of rock’s biggest selling artists, as well as Grammy winners and critically acclaimed musicians. Hard Rock is well known for its commitment to music, but philanthropy is the company’s soul, and this is witnessed in their involvement in projects such as this.

“We are honored to be partnering once again with Hard Rock and such great musicians for this effort,” said WHY Chief Executive and founder, Bill Ayres. “The generosity and time committed to Serve2 has been tremendous, and we are overwhelmed by the support for the cause.”

WHY was formed in 1975 by Ayres, a radio talk-show host, and singer/songwriter Harry Chapin. Chapin’s daughter, Jen, who features on Serve2, said that her father “saw hunger and poverty as an insult to America”. Many of his concerts were benefit performances for the 82 charities he was known to support, and the sales of all his concert merchandise were donated directly to WHY. At the time of his death in 1981, it was discovered that Chapin had donated almost all of his personal fortune to charity. Today, WHY is an international non-profit organization that connects grass roots charities to funding expertise and publicity.

Serve2 is available both in CD format and digitally, with bonus tracks available on the digital version. The full tracklist includes:

1. Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad (live in Dublin)

2. KT Tunstall – Heal Over (live at Gaia Music, London)

3. Bob Dylan – The Ballad of Hollis Brown (live at Carnegie Hall, 1963)

4. Joss Stone – Big Ol’ Game

5. Jackson Browne – Casino Nation (live in Melbourne)

6. Citizen Cope feat. Alice Smith – 107 Degrees

7. Brandi Carlile – The Times They Are A-Changing (live in Boston)

8. Marc Broussard – Bring It On Home To Me

9. The Hold Steady – Arms and Hearts

10. OAR – Dareh Meyod (live in Madison Square Garden)

11. Natasha Bedingfield – Lay Down

12. Mat Kearney – Nothing Left To Lose (acoustic version)

13. Ghosts – Stay The Night

14. Andrew WK – This Is My World

Digital bonus tracks include:

1) Toby Lightman – Better (live at Joe’s Pub)

2) Sons of William – Bell Bottom Blues (Eric Clapton cover)

3) Hellogoodbye – Baby It’s Fact (live in New York)

4) Josh Rouse – Start Again

5) Jen Chapin – You Haven’t Done Nothing (Stevie Wonder cover)

6) Eli Cook – Man Child

7) Griffin House – Love To Begin

Also available as part of Hard Rock’s commitment to WHY is a 21st Signature Series T shirt, sweatshirt, and commemorative pin, inspired by Bruce Springsteen, which features a drawing of one of The Boss’ favorite guitars.

The Serve2 CD, the clothing, and the pin are available at Hard Rock stores around the world, as well as at www.hardrock.com and www.worldhungeryear.org. The digital format CD, including the bonus tracks, is also available through these websites, as well as through most major online retail stores. 100% of all proceeds go to WHY.

Kravitz and Good Charlotte "Serve" Those in Need

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 19:49:14 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Major recording artists such as Lenny Kravitz and Good Charlotte have come together to help create an all-star charity CD benefitting World Hunger Year (WHY).

Called “Serve”, the collection of tracks by Grammy Award-winning and acclaimed artists includes a booklet with text and photos celebrating philanthropy in rock ‘n’ roll. The 12 songs are variously new and classic, electric and acoustic, and two are live recordings. Many of the tracks are rare or previously unreleased pieces.

The CD is available at Hard Rock Cafe’s Rock Shops and the Hard Rock Cafe website. The tracklist is as follows:

Bruce Springsteen – “Secret Garden” (String Version)
Aerosmith – “Jaded” (Acoustic Mix)
Dido – “Life for Rent”
The Strokes – “Alone, Together” (Home Recording)
Ray Lamontagne – “Shelter”
Coheed And Cambria – “A Favor House Atlantic” (Live Acoustic Version)
Velvet Revolver – “Slither”
Modest Mouse – “Ocean Breathes Salty”
Darryl McDaniels (featuring Sarah McLachlan) – “Just Like Me”
Good Charlotte – “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” (Live Acoustic Version)
Lenny Kravitz – “Let Love Rule”
The Hold Steady – “Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night”

WHY fights against hunger and poverty in America, and net proceeds from “Serve” will be donated to an artist-directed division of WHY, Artists Against Hunger & Poverty.

Look To The Stars News: World Hunger Year

Hard Rock Serves Up John Lennon For Charity

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