Actress Drew Barrymore said Monday she is donating US$1 million (€660,000) to help fight hunger worldwide, and she met later with commodities traders in Chicago to highlight the hardships caused by soaring food prices.

The 33-year-old American actress will give the money to the World Food Program, a U.N. body that delivers millions of tons of food aid to more than 70 million people in about 80 countries, she said on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

“I’m able to make this incredible donation — this has changed my life,” said Barrymore, who serves as a WFP ambassador against hunger. “But I encourage everyone to give.”

Later, she told The Associated Press that the US$1 million (€660,000) was “by far” the largest donation she has ever made.

“But nothing has ever felt so good,” she said.

Barrymore — whose screen credits include the “Charlie’s Angels” movies and “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” — visited the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade on Monday afternoon, saying she discussed the impact of rising food prices on the poor.

“I wanted to bring awareness to it because it’s not something we think about,” she said.

There has been a 40 percent rise in commodity prices since the middle of last year, caused in part by skyrocketing energy costs and rising consumer demand in developing countries such as India and China, a WFP statement said.

The Rome-based agency has an annual budget of about US$3 billion (€2 billion), but it said it needs US$500 million (€330 million) more than anticipated this year due to the rise in food and energy prices.

Source: IHT