There are many organizations that seek to end hunger, but FreeRice is challenging both our altruism and our intellect. The site has two stated goals: to provide free education, and to help end world hunger. 

FreeRice’s concept is simple. Visitors to the site answer questions, and 10 grains of rice are awarded for each correct answer. FreeRice provides visual feedback, showing a bowl filling with rice and tracking the grains to be donated. While initially only vocabulary questions were available, topics have broadened to include art, chemistry, English grammar and vocabulary, geography, French, German, Italian, Spanish and math. 

Upon answering incorrectly, the right answer is presented, and the question is repeated later in the sequence, providing the opportunity to learn from mistakes. For those who are testing vocabulary, words can be pronounced out loud by clicking on the speaker icon.

• The site is run by the United Nations World Food Programme, in partnership with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, which assists with educational content
• Sponsors provide the funding for the donated rice in exchange for advertising on the web site; FreeRice itself does not profit from the enterprise, sending all money raised to the UN
• Since its founding in 2007, more than 75 billion grains of rice have been provided, feeding millions

Users don’t need to worry about being humiliated by difficult questions – they automatically adjust to the user’s level. Missed questions will guide the tool to a lower level, and three correct answers in a row will raise it. The site boasts, “There are levels appropriate for beginners and levels that will challenge the most scholarly professors.”

Food goes to more than 75 countries that have partnerships with the UN World Food Program, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Uganda, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. Sadly, the global economic downturn and its effect on Internet advertising has hit this effort as well, with a reduction from 20 to 10 grains earned for each correct question.

For those who have extra cash to accompany their intellectual prowess, FreeRice is pleased to accept direct donations. This site has received substantial publicity, cited by news outlets including the Washington Post, LA Times, Christian Science Monitor, CBS Evening News and Time Magazine. FreeRice is a site that leaves us well-fed, addressing both intellectual and actual hunger.