United Methodist Reporter Blog

Pepsi Refresh Project does good

Regardless if you are a Coke or Pepsi person, you've got to be in favor of feeding 9 million hungry Americans, and starting Wednesday, Sept.1, you can vote to make that happen.

Each month Pepsi grants 1.3 million dollars to fund ideas that will help refresh the world, and the Society of St. Andrew, a grassroots, faith-based hunger relief organization, will be competing for $250,000 in the food and shelter category. It's simple--the idea with the most votes gets the money.

The Society of St. Andrew relies on support from donors, volunteers and farmers as they glean nutritious excess produce from farmers' fields and orchards after harvest and deliver it to people in need across the United States. They figure with a quarter of a million dollars, they can provide 9 million servings of food to hungry Americans. All they need is your vote.

When Pepsi decided to forego advertising in last year's monumental Super Bowl and donate $20 million dollars to social causes instead, competitors thought they were crazy. But I can think of at least 9 million Americans who don't think that was such a crazy idea.

To learn more about the Pepsi Refresh Project and vote for your favorite refreshing ideas click here.

John Wesley and Guinness Stout: the connection

I feel as though I should preface this revelation by citing Paragraph 162. III. L. of the 2008 Book of Discipline:

We affirm our long-standing support of abstinence from alcohol as a faithful witness to God’s liberating and redeeming love for persons. We support abstinence from the use of any illegal drugs. Since the use of illegal drugs, as well as illegal and problematic use of alcohol, is a major factor in crime, disease, death, and family dysfunction, we support educational programs as well as other prevention strategies encouraging abstinence from illegal drug use and, with regard to those who choose to consume alcoholic beverages, judicious use with deliberate and intentional restraint, with Scripture as a guide.

Okay, now that we're clear on that, here's the cool part: One of the many people who heard John Wesley preach was Arthur Guinness, founder of the brewery that bears his name. It seems that Wesley's perspective helped shape the young man's business practices. From a blog entry by USA Today columnist Stephen Mansfield:

This rising entrepreneur hears and allows Wesley's words to frame a vision for his fledgling company: a vision for producing wealth through brewing excellence and then for using that wealth to serve the downtrodden and the poor.

I just might have to raise a glass to Wesley and Guinness tonight.

(Hat tip: Jennifer Rodia, via Twitter)