Courtesy of Michael Kors
When Ashley Park arrived at the 2023 Met Gala in a custom Michael Kors mermaid gown, it was clear the two moguls were a dream team. And now, a year later, the Emily in Paris actor and Kors are taking their partnership to the next level. On October 16, a.k.a. World Food Day, Park sat down with the eponymous designer to discuss a new chapter for Watch Hunger Stop, the brand’s global hunger-fighting initiative with the United Nations World Food Programme. In the next phase of the label’s decade-long collaboration with the United Nations, Michael Kors will support WFP’s Home-Grown School Feeding program, a proven practice that helps local farmers thrive, grow, and sell nutritious food needed in small communities.
In an intimate interview with Park, Kors shared his excitement around the evolution of Watch Hunger Stop, and more specifically, the initiative’s new humanitarian phase. “Home-Grown School Feeding is designed to achieve longer-term, sustainable impact, and it highlights the importance of women and girls in transforming the future,” Kors shared in a press release. “I’ve always believed that the fight against global hunger is one we can win, and as we enter our second decade working with WFP, I’m more encouraged than ever that we are helping to build a better world.”
As Kors said, the Home-Grown School Feeding approach supports local school meal suppliers so they can grow safe, nutritious, and diverse food to feed children at school. The brand-new program ensures that the ingredients used to produce school meals are sourced direct from the community, which in turn enriches the overall economy. “This provides local farmers, many of whom are women, with a reliable source of income, along with useful training and tools,” the brand confirmed in an official statement. This strategy aims to establish stronger, sustainable food systems and communities as a whole.
Based on these goals, Michael Kors and WFP have chosen Sri Lanka as the first country to receive the Home-Grown School Feeding program. According to the press release, “the partnership with Michael Kors will enable WFP to reach an additional 300,000 children with consistent school meals and assist 1,000 more farmers to supply eggs, vegetables, and fruit for those meals.” Even though WFP has been stationed in Sri Lanka for over 55 years — addressing food security, malnutrition, and sustainability — the extra support from Michael Kors will ensure kitchens, classrooms, and schools be upgraded.
“We’re thrilled by Michael Kors’ continued commitment to supporting WFP’s work. The company has provided millions of nutritious school meals for children over the past ten years,” says Cindy McCain, WFP executive director in a public statement. “With global hunger at alarmingly high levels, it’s vital we invest in programs that enable the vulnerable people we serve to become more self-sufficient. Thanks to Michael’s humanitarian leadership and the brand’s commitment, our home-grown school meals program will benefit even more children and communities across Sri Lanka.”
In Kors’ sit-down with Park, he shared “we can all be philanthropists — nothing can be more fashionable than that.” So, if you’re feeling inspired, you can donate today and stay tuned for more updates from Watch Hunger Stop.