To: NATIONAL EDITORS

Contact: Lyndsay Cruz of Oxfam America, +1-562-331-0698, lcruz@oxfamamerica.org; or Christine Tripicchio, +1-310-205-0618, christinet@wktpr.com, for Oxfam America

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, designated as "World Food Day," renowned celebrity chef and cookbook author Giada De Laurentiis joined Oxfam America as a new Ambassador, said the international aid agency. De Laurentiis will focus her efforts with Oxfam on highlighting the struggles of the billion people around the world who are chronically hungry.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080221/DC14723LOGO )

"Food is a vital source of nourishment, but there are so many here in the United States and around the world who face enormous challenges in simply putting food on the table," said De Laurentiis. "To a billion people around the world surviving on just a dollar a day, the question what are we going to eat tonight becomes more about life and death, than about recipes."

Forty percent of the people on the planet live in poverty, many of them spending upwards of 70 percent of their meager income on food, according to Oxfam.

"We welcome Giada De Laurentiis to this vital work, someone who deeply understands the importance of food in our lives," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. "Poor people in the US and in developing countries are finding basic goods out of reach. Now more than ever, it's crucial to raise awareness about the hunger that exists all around us and to change the policies that keep people from lifting themselves out of poverty. Giada is a wonderful Ambassador of this message."

"In every nation on earth, people go to sleep hungry even though there's enough food on this planet to feed every woman, man, and child," said De Laurentiis. "The struggle of poor people around the world has weighed on me heavily, especially now that I am a mother. I have joined Oxfam because it is a global organization that works to find long-lasting solutions to poverty around the world."

De Laurentiis is an Emmy Award winning celebrity chef who has hosted several successful series on Food Network, most notably "Everyday Italian." She will debut her next series for Food Network, "Giada at Home" on Saturday, October 18th. Additionally, De Laurentiis is a regular contributor as a co-host on the "Today Show." De Laurentiis is currently on book tour for the launch of her fourth cookbook entitled "Giada's Kitchen," which already ranked on the top of TheNew York Times bestseller list in the first week of release. While on her month long book tour around the United States, De Laurentiis included Oxfam inserts in each book sold, drawing attention to the growing problem of rising food costs and the hunger crisis worldwide.

NOTE: For more information, please visit www.oxfamamerica.org/giada or www.giadadelaurentiis.com.

Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice.www.oxfamamerica.org

SOURCE Oxfam America

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