Mercy Corps Announces Launch of Action Center to End World Hunger
Near one of the world's foremost financial districts, in one of the world's most vibrant cultural centers, Mercy Corps is creating a center for global humanitarian action.
Today Mercy Corps officially announced the name of the first-of-its-kind interactive education and action center in New York City, specifically Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan. This 4,000 square foot space, called The Action Center to End World Hunger, will educate visitors about the root causes of hunger and poverty, motivate people to action and provide the tools needed to engage a broader public in the ongoing struggle against poverty. It will feature exhibits and learning opportunities for all visitors, but will focus particularly on youth — as well as their parents and teachers — and help inspire young visitors to join in efforts to end hunger and poverty.
Several media-rich interactive exhibits drive the visitor experience. The experience begins with a briefing video that outlines the problems of global hunger, poverty and conflict, and continues with a series of interactive trainings and multimedia resources. These educational exhibits culminate in a space where visitors are offered the opportunity to take direct action around the issues they've just learned about. The variety and richness of the Action Center experience is intended to send visitors away with a motivated, positive mindset supported by the understanding that the problems of global hunger and poverty are ultimately solvable.
The Action Center will also feature a space in which individuals can purchase crafts and items, with proceeds benefiting community artisans involved with Mercy Corps.
"For 28 years, Mercy Corps has been at the forefront of addressing the challenges that plague the world," said Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer. "We are so pleased to join the New York City and Battery Park landscapes to raise awareness about global issues, arm individuals with the information to make a difference, and help revitalize a neighborhood that understands so well the results of human strife."
The Action Center's location in Lower Manhattan is blocks from Ground Zero, where the towers of the World Trade Center fell on September 11, 2001.
Mercy Corps was chosen by the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) to create the Action Center as part of New York City's recovery from the tragedy of September 11. The center has received enormous financial and other support from the city, including a public amenity lease for 60 years and a pledge of $1.25 million in support from BPCA. Other project supporters include The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) through a grant of $1 million, The New York City Council with $250,000, and The Mayor's Office with $500,000. The Action Center has an estimated construction budget of $5.4 million.
"The Action Center to End World Hunger will complement the nearby Irish Hunger Memorial, and together they will remind all of us that human suffering persists throughout the world today. This new center will give people the opportunity to take action and participate in alleviating the world hunger crisis," said Jim Gill, chairman of the Battery Park City Authority.
The Action Center — designed by award-winning Edwin Schlossberg's firm, ESI Design — will feature sustainable environmental principles in its construction and daily operations. It will be one of the first public spaces in New York City to receive a LEED Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Platinum rating is very difficult to achieve and demonstrates Mercy Corps' commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility. LEED-certified buildings reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, are healthier and safer for occupants, and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
"This is a new kind of cultural institution both for New York City and the country," said Edwin Schlossberg, founder and principal designer at ESI Design. "The Action Center to End World Hunger will prepare visitors to make a lasting change — both at the Center and in their communities — by providing interactive displays and dispatches from the field overseas that immerse them in the daily Mercy Corps experience."
The Action Center to End World Hunger is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008, with a sister location to open within Mercy Corps' new headquarters in Portland, Oregon in 2009.
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