FEEDING AMERICA’S HUNGRY

Though most of the $51 million raised so far by “We Are the World” sales has been spent in Africa, 10% of the total was set aside from the beginning for America’s hungry.

One year after the “We Are the World” recording session in January, 1985, the USA for Africa Foundation began spending the domestic portion. In January of this year, the foundation announced that it would make three grants totaling $461,960 to organizations dedicated to education, medical treatment and fund-raising for the poor.

Since then, 77 more grants have been announced. Officials say that about $4 million of the $5.1 million earmarked for domestic aid has been spent with about $1 million remaining for distribution.

The five latest grants:

Mississippi Food Network--$55,000 to renovate storage sites, buy a refrigerator truck, pay rent and hire two part-time employees.

Federation of Southern Cooperatives--$50,000 for training.

Homelessness Information Exchange--$50,000 for start up of a national resource network connecting shelters and relief agencies.

Downtown Women’s Center--$10,000 for completion of a 42-room housing project for single homeless women on Los Angeles’ Skid Row.

National Anti-Hunger Coalition--$5,000 for a national conference of poor people.