Yank Barry’s Philanthropic Philosophy

Yank Barry’s philanthropic journey started as he travelled the world as a food entrepreneur and executive with Vitapro, a manufacturer of dehydrated soy-based meat-replacement products. On his journeys, he discovered that many people were forced to live in appalling conditions that compelled him to help. For more than two decades now, Yank Barry has worked to create a better world for those living in poverty. His global hunger initiative, Global Village Champions Foundation, which he founded along with his wife Yvette and numerous friends and philanthropic partners such as Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan, has provided more than one billion meals to hungry people throughout the world so far. That’s one billion, with a B.

What makes him different from many philanthropists, however, is that Yank Barry’s approach involves a lot more than cutting a check. He and his wife and go where the problems are and personally help those in crisis, even in places that are deemed “too dangerous” for others to go. For example, in recent years, he has been focused on helping and saving refugees from war torn Syria, Iraq and Iran and helping them get everything they need to rebuild their lives. He doesn’t do that from afar; he goes in there and solves problems himself.