(breakingnews.iol.ie ) - Actress Drew Barrymore said today she was donating a million dollars (€657,653) to help fight hunger worldwide.The 33-year-old star is giving the money to the World Food Programme, a UN 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 said that the million dollars 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 'ET: The Extra-Terrestrial', later visited the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, 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% 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 $3bn (€1.97bn), but it said it needed $500m (€328.8m) more than anticipated this year due to the rise in food and energy prices.