The food bank in Perth, Ont., changed its name last year to The Table Community Food Centre. The difference? Everything. From a single-staff operation handing out canned food to those in need, The Table has become a bustling hive of healthy food, community building and empowerment.

Today is World Food Day. Every child has a right to food. I recently returned from Bangladesh where I lead a group of Canadian supporters as we visited maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition programs. The trip once again demonstrated to me how sustainable change requires the engagement of donor and local government, communities, and civil society.

Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world, their child and maternal mortality numbers are still too high and millions of children are stunted by malnutrition. Bangladesh clearly demonstrates the need but it surprisingly also demonstrates the hope. It would probably surprise many Canadians how important technology, particularly cell technology and the internet, is to the practice of development today.

In a couple of days I will be travelling to Bangladesh with my wife. This time I am not going to film a television show. Leslie and I are travelling with Save the Children to visit their food and nutrition programming. Leslie and I want to bring the story of these children and their families to the attention of Canadians.

For over 25 years I worked for Save the Children across Latin America. We worked in the poorest communities and I witnessed the pain of parents who would have done anything they could, if they could to help their hungry child, their sick child, their child who wanted to go to school but couldn't for lack of money.