I'm going to try not to sound like a grandma-in-a-rocking-chair here, but indulge me for a moment: I joined the food blog community in its infancy. When I started my blog over five years ago, there were just a handful of us around. I don't think that any of us imagined what this blog community was going to become, or predicted the explosion of food bloggers worldwide.

So, what's bringing on all this nostalgia? It's the announcement of the 5th Annual Menu for Hope -- a worldwide fundraising effort by food bloggers for a designated charity. This is an event that really highlights the magnitude of the food blogger community and its impact around the world.

This year the charity of choice is the United Nations World Food Programme, with the funds specifically going to an important school lunch program in Lesotho.

Menu for Hope is hosted by Pim of Chez Pim, and is the annual major fundraising event for food bloggers. Last year, the event raised over $90,000 for the Lesotho program.

The event is a raffle, with each ticket costing $10. Everyone can participate. There are dozens of prizes this year, broken into areas of the world:

West Coast
Wine
East Coast
Canada
Asia

Each year, the prizes get more exciting and more innovative. There are many ways to strategize your prize choices -- some choose to find the prizes with a low number of bids to increase their chances of winning. At first glance, here is my wish list for prizes I'd love to win:

Dinner for 6 at Contigo, with sommelier service by Alder of Vinography. (In Praise of Sardines, prize code UW14). Brett Emerson of In Praise of Sardines is opening his restaurant in Noe Valley within weeks. This prize will allow you and five friends to have dinner at this Catalan-inspired restaurant.

Knife of your Choice (Steamy Kitchen, prize code UE01). Win a chef's knif of your choice from New West Knifeworks.

Two boxes of Macarons from Petites Bouchees (Veronica's Test Kitchen, prize code UE04). I am a sucker for well-made macarons, and the prize of 48 macarons is too tempting to pass up.

Bo Ssam dinner for 8 at Ssam Bar (Momofuku - UE15). There are a couple of prizes that I would be willing to travel for, and if I won this dinner from Momofuku, I would be on a plane to New York City in a split second.

Lowel Ego Two Light Set (Kalyn's Kitchen - UW10). This is a great prize for all the food photographers out there. I'd love to have this prize for my indoor food photography.

Dinner with Eric Asimov (The Pour / NY Times - WB02). I get sweaty palms even imagining having dinner with Eric Asimov, but what a fun dinner it would be!

A case of small production wines from Raymond. (Raymond Vineyards - WB22). This is a carefully selected case of wine from Raymond Vineyards.

There are dozens more prizes to choose from, so please take a look for yourself and decide what to bid on! You can find out more details about Menu for Hope on Pim's site.

To donate to Menu for Hope:
1) Choose your prizes and note the prize codes.
2) Go the the First Giving site for Menu for Hope
3) Specify which prize you'd like in the "Personal Message" section according to the rules on the First Giving site.
4) If your company matches charity donations, check the appropriate box.
5) Check the box allowing the page owner to see your email address for the purposes of contacting the winners.
6) Check back on Chez Pim on January 12 to see who won!

You have until tomorrow, Friday December 21st, to donate to Menu for Hope, and bid on any number of priceless prizes donated by food bloggers all over the world. As you already know, Ms. Pim of Chez Pim has organized this impressive fund raising event for the past four years. This year she's picked The United Nations' World Food Programme, as she did last year, but for 2007 she's made a special request,

"With a special permission from the WFP, the funds raised by Menu for Hope 4 will be earmarked for the school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. We chose to support the school lunch program because providing food for the children not only keeps them alive, but keeps them in school so that they learn the skills to feed themselves in the future. We chose to support the program in Lesotho because it is a model program in local procurement - buying food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. Instead of shipping surplus corn across the ocean, the WFP is buying directly from local subsistent farmers who practice conservation farming methods in Lesotho to feed the children there."

In the spirit of supporting local food economy, one of the USA West Coast prizes has been amended as of the afternoon of Wednesday December 19.

(UW17) Dinner for 8 prepared by Brett Emerson
Brett Emerson, owner of the soon to be opened Contigo, is offering dinner made for 8 people in his new Noe Valley home. Wines to be paired and picked by none other than our very own wine blogging superstar, Alder Yarrow of Vinography. And desserts will be made by yours truly, Shuna fish Lydon of Eggbeater. Triple threat, no doubt.

This all-star dinner could be yours for a mere $10!

More USA West Coast prizes can be found here at Rasa Malaysia. But if you're a jet-setting world traveler you may want to bid on a personal tour of the El Bulli kitchen {EU31}, or have lunch with your not-so-secret lover at Alain Passard's 3 Michelin star L'Arpege in Paris one lovely afternoon {EU40}, to name just 2 insanely amazing possibilities!

The prizes are varied and beyond your wildest imagination. Delicious in every regard. Please take a few minutes to head over to First Giving and help us raise a record amount this year. (Last year we raised $60,925.12)

How To?

- To donate, go to First Giving. To specify a specific prize, follow the instructions on the Chez Pim website (scroll down to the instructions and screenshots).

One of the annual highlights in the food blog community is Menu for Hope - a fundraising event that raises money for the World Food Programme, a United Nations Food Aid Agency. Annually, the event is hosted by Pim Techamuanvivit from Chez Pim. Last year, Menu for Hope raised an astonishing $60,000.

The funds this year will be going to a school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. According to Pim, the Lesotho program is focusing on "buying food locally to support local farmers and the local economy". (Do I have to tell you how excited I am about this program?)

Food bloggers around the world offer prizes -- everything from cookbooks to fully cooked meals -- that are bid on by donors who donate $10 per virtual raffle ticket. A full list of prizes can be found on the Chez Pim site. As of this morning, over $7,000 has already been donated to this year's event.

Each year, the Bay Area boasts some prizes that can only be claimed if you live in the area or if you travel here to get your prize. Here are some of my favorites so far (along with the prize code in parenthesis):

(UW08) Custom Mixology Service
Anita and Cameron from Married with Dinner often feature amazing drinks and spirits on their blog. Win their prize and they will work with you and come to your home to create delightful cocktails for you and 12 guests.

(UW32) English Afternoon Tea
This year, Sam from Becks and Posh is offering a tiered prize. If the total amount donated to her prize is over $2,500 and you live in or can travel to the Bay Area, she and June Taylor will host an English Afternoon Tea for you and your friends.

(UW10) Dinner for 2 with wine pairing and a private tour of Manresa's biodynamic garden with chef David Kinch.
Pim is offering this prize with her partner, David Kinch and it involves dinner at one of the most lauded restaurants in the country.

(UW04) Boccalone Boar Sacchetto of artisan salumi
Boccalone is a new entrant on the local salami scene, and the Bunrabs are offering this gift courtesy of Boccalone. Prize must be picked up at the Oakland or San Francisco Salumi Society gathering.

(UW17) Dinner for 8 prepared by Brett Emerson
Brett Emerson, owner of the soon to be opened Contigo, is offering dinner made for 8 people in his new Noe Valley home.

(UW18) Bento Box and Tour of SF Japantown with Lunch in a Box.
Biggie, the blogger at Lunch in a Box, is a person who I'd like to explore Japantown with. She's fluent in Japanese and could probably explain many of unidentifiable Japanese foods to me.

You can find other gifts donated by West Coast bloggers (including our own Amy Sherman) at Rasa Malaysia.

Nuts and Bolts of participating:

- Donating started yesterday and continues through December 21.
- To donate, go to First Giving. To specify a specific prize, follow the instructions on the Chez Pim website (scroll down to the instructions and screenshots).
- Check back on January 9 to see if you've won!