Free Rice

Free Rice is an online charity that allows users to donate rice by correctly answering vocabulary questions. The Free Rice campaign offers an online vocab game that prompts the user with a word then four possible meanings--one, of course, being the correct meaning. A computer program tracks the level each user is most comfortable at--from beginners just learning English to a level for the most scholarly professors. Free Rice donates 20 grains of rice for every word correctly matched. In return, the game is aimed at providing users with vocabulary practice that fortifies their understanding of the English language.

To fund this program, Free Rice offers advertising space on each elapsing screen of the game. The more you play, the more advertisers pay, and the more rice they are able to purchase. The rice is then sent to the United Nations World Food Program and is distributed to those in need. On Nov. 28th, 2007 there were 369,007,280 grains of rice donated. The amount of rice donated per day has risen exponentially since its inception on Oct. 7th, 2007.