What is Menu for Hope?  Menu for Hope is an annual fundraising event coordinated by food blogger Pim Techamuanvivit and hosted on her blog Chez Pim.  Here's Pim's explanation of the event:

For two weeks every December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle.  Anyone—and that means you too—can buy raffle tickets to win these prizes.  For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket for a chance to win the prize of your choice.   At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.  Last year, Menu For Hope raised US $62,925.12 to help the UN World Food Programme feed the hungry.  The funds raised this year will support a school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa.

I've decided to donate as a raffle prize an assortment of 32 hand-crafted chocolate truffles (raffle code UE45).  If you read my blog regularly, you know I've been perfecting my truffle-making in recent weeks.  (If you don't read my blog regularly, then scroll down to see evidence of my truffle-making.)  Pictured below is my latest truffle prototype—Mexican Hot Chocolate—a milk chocolate ganache delicately flavored with cinnamon and Papua New Guinea vanilla bean, dipped in a coating of tempered milk chocolate.  (Yes, I've properly tempered chocolate for the second time this week.  I think I've got the hang of it!)  

Many, many other bloggers from around the world have donated very cool raffle items.  Pim is keeping a list of the raffle prizes here.  (But I really hope some of you try to win my truffles . . . because I'll be very, very sad if no one does!)

And here's the pitch for money . . . PLEASE GIVE . . . at least $10 . . . more if you can afford to!  To donate and enter the Menu For Hope raffle, you need to first decide what raffle prize you're hoping for.  If you want my truffles, make note of the raffle code—UE45.  If you want a chance to win one of the other prizes, make note of the raffle code for that prize, give on the prize list linked to above.

Then go to the Firstgiving Web site to make your donation, making sure to note the prize code(s) in the "comment" line.  The Firstgiving Web site has more information about Menu For Hope, and complete instructions for donating.  The raffle results will be announced Wednesday January 9 on Chez Pim.

One final note, please pay attention when browsing the prizes to the first two letters in the prize code—they indicate what part of the world the prize is presently located.  You wouldn't want to buy a raffle ticket for a dinner in Paris, for example, unless you were also prepared to buy a plane ticket to Paris to collect your prize.  And some of the more easily-transported items nonetheless have shipping-distance limitations.  As far as I can tell, the geographical codes have the following meanings:

• UK = United Kingdom
• EU = the rest of Europe
• UE = eastern US
• UC = central US
• UW = western US
• CA = Canada
• AP = Asia Pacific

And in addition to these geographic categories of prizes, there's also a wine category, which uses the code WB.

So go ahead . . . grab your credit card and donate now, please!