It All Begins with One Billion Meals For Yank Barry

Because of his hard work in the philanthropic arena worldwide, Yank Barry has received three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. He has also received accolades from groups all over, including humanitarian awards from India, Côte D'Ivoire, the Bahamas and Mexico, among others. Most recently, Yank and Yvette Barry received the Childhelp International Achievement Award. It’s no wonder. When you look at Yank Barry’s philanthropic record, it is extremely impressive. The work done by his global hunger initiative, Global Village Champions Foundation, has been enough to draw praise, given that it has provided hungry people worldwide with more than one billion meals since it was established in 1995. And that is just one initiative.

Unlike that of many other philanthropists, Yank Barry’s approach is far more personal in nature. It would be really easy to look over some worthy causes and issue grants or write checks, but Yank doesn’t do that. In point of fact, Yank and his wife Yvette don't just give money and have someone else do all of the hard work; they go in themselves and do a lot of it themselves, on the front lines in the fight against suffering on the part of poor and displaced people all over the world. Yank works closely with NGOs and local agencies to help people, including many in politically unstable areas where few others would bother to go.

For example, over the recent past, Yank Barry has tried to focus his efforts on assisting and possible on helping and saving refugees from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Iran and he has helped thousands of refugees escape the violence and volatility caused by groups as lethal as ISIS, providing them with whatever they need to rebuild their lives, including food, a home, medical supplies and whatever else they need to rebuild their lives and the lives of their families.

Yank Barry’s Global Village Champions Foundation changes lives

Musician and businessman Yank Barry always felt a strong pull toward helping others. Since the 1990s, he has worked tirelessly toward a humanitarian journey -- striving to make a difference where a difference is needed. Tangibly changing the lives of millions since that time, Barry and his organization Global Village Champions Foundation have worked within devastated countries and cities to bring various kinds of necessary aid and care to those in need. From Port-Au-Prince in Haiti after a catastrophic earthquake to the refugee crisis in Bulgaria, Yank Barry and his teams bring hot meals and medical supplies in addition to other assistance to these regions facing immediate devastation and an outreach for help.

Yank Barry, Humanitarian

A little more than 20 years ago, while he was traveling the world for business as a successful entrepreneur, Yank Barry saw conditions that changed everything for him. People were living in the worst conditions imaginable and it bothered him to the point that he reassessed his priorities and it made a conscious decision to help as many of them as possible get out of poverty.

Yank Barry is considered a world-class philanthropist these days because his efforts have been very successful. The best example comes with his global hunger initiative, the Global Village Champions Foundation. That organization has provided more than one billion meals to the hungry worldwide since 1995. But there is more. Unlike many philanthropists, Yank and his wife Yvette don't just write checks; they put themselves on the front lines to aid people caught in crisis. They work closely with local agencies and NGOs all over the world to bring help to everyone possible, even when they are in politically unstable areas that others avoid. Recently, they have saved thousands of refugees from war torn Syria, Iraq and Iran, helping them to leave behind the violence and volatility caused by groups like ISIS, providing them with whatever they need to rebuild their lives.

Philanthropist Yank Berry

Yank Berry’s global hunger initiative, Global Village Champions Foundation, along with his wife Yvette and numerous friends and philanthropic partners such as Muhammad Ali, has provided more than one billion meals to hungry people throughout the world over the course of 20 years. He doesn’t just write checks and let others do it all; he has worked closely and personally with local agencies and NGOs throughout the world to help people in politically unstable areas where few would bother to go.

His philanthropy has been recognized by many. Besides being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times, Yank Barry has received numerous awards and accolades from all corners of the world, including India, Côte D'Ivoire, the Bahamas and Mexico. Just last year, Yank and Yvette Barry received the Childhelp International Achievement Award. He can be proud of the difference he’s made. In addition to being recognized by charitable organizations, his work has also garnered a lot of media attention. He has been profiled on CNN, NBC, The Jerusalem Post and many other news outlets all over the world.

Yank Barry And VItaPro

During his many travels completing philanthropic aid, legendary businessman and musician Yank Barry discovered a huge gap in the quality of food noticed around the world. He particularly saw this massive shortcoming with food intended for Africa, personally inspecting a shipment and realizing the lack of fresh food being shared with the nation’s hungry.

With a desire to help as well as knowledge of the immense need for better food in Africa and other countries facing famine, Yank Barry merged his humanitarian work with his business ventures to help launch VitaPro in 1990.

The company, which touts the tagline “a leader in the soy revolution,” creates a soy-based meat substitute. This dehydrated, protein-rich food -- free from any animal products or by-products -- has the same texture and taste of meat, available in three flavors. VitaPro not only solves the problem of lack of refrigeration and preparation ability faced by those in many countries, but it also provides a nutritious meat substitute to people who benefit immensely from its high fiber and protein-rich content.

VitaPro grew to distribution in more than 50 countries, aiding thousands upon thousands of individuals who need food but don’t always receive immediate first-hand assistance.

Getting Refugees the Help They Desperately Need

Yank Barry is a firm believer in the idea that refugees are desperately in need of help and that if we don't help them, no one else will. They are not going to be magically saved and he is well aware of that. He is taken upon his own shoulders to try and save as many refugees as he can, providing support to over 1,200 refugees since he started. These refugees are mainly from the middle east and include people from every race and creed. Whether it is Kurds from Iran or Syrian Christians, he is pleased to be able to improve their lives.

Yank Barry has worked closely with the President of The State Agency for Refugees in Bulgaria, Mr. Nicolay Chirpanliev. There is a reason for Mr. Barry's involvement in refugee issues in Bulgaria, a personal one. Much of his family was welcomes into the country in the midst of World War Two, when Jews were fleeing to escape Hitler's irrational rage. Due to this, Yank Barry's respect for the country of Bulgaria in dealing with refugee issues is strong.

Barry is much than just a philanthropist, though, he is an entrepreneur and a musician. He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a company called VitaPro Foods, which he founded. VitaPro Foods creates textured vegetable protein. He also serves as CEO of ProPectin.