Action Center to End World Hunger Honored With Webby and IDEA Awards for Giving Visitors Effective Ways to Take Action

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - April 29, 2009) - The Action Center to End World Hunger website (www.actioncenter.org) has been honored by the 2009 Webby Awards for helping visitors learn about the systemic causes of hunger, and inviting them to participate in hundreds of actions that help people lift themselves out of poverty.

The website is the online home of the Action Center, a first-of-its-kind interactive public space that inspires and empowers visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures to tackle the global challenges of hunger and poverty. Located in lower Manhattan's Battery Park City, the Action Center was designed for the global relief and development agency Mercy Corps by interactive pioneer ESI Design.

The Action Center was honored in two categories of the 13th Annual Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet: 1) as one of five finalists in the Activism category; and, 2) as one of 14 honorees in the Charitable Organization / Nonprofit category.

The Action Center has also been nominated as a 2009 Environment Finalist for the prestigious IDEA Awards sponsored by BusinessWeek and the Industrial Designers Society of America.

"The Action Center inspires visitors to make a very personal commitment to ending world hunger," said Robert Sherman, executive director of the Action Center. "Both the Center and the Website use the power of video and storytelling to make meaningful connections for people. They also provide real tools to create lasting social change. We are very excited to receive these prestigious honors from the Webby and IDEA Awards."

Edwin Schlossberg, ESI Design's Principal Designer said, "In both real and virtual space, the Action Center is a place where people collaborate to discover issues, assess situations worldwide, and take action based on the time they can give -- an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, or a lifetime. We are very excited by the enthusiastic response people have given to the Action Center."

While the Webby Academy will not make its final vote known until June 8, the online public selects The People's Voice Award winners in an open vote that ends on April 30th. To make your voice known, please visit pv.webbyawards.com.

About Mercy Corps -- Mercy Corps helps people in the world's toughest places turn the crises of natural disasters, poverty and conflict into opportunities for progress. Driven by local needs and market conditions, Mercy Corps' programs provide communities with the tools and support they need to transform their own lives. Our worldwide team of 3,700 professionals is improving the lives of 14.5 million people in more than 40 countries. For more information, see www.mercycorps.org.

About ESI Design -- ESI Design is one of the world's foremost experience design firms, creating innovative physical and virtual environments that connect audiences with today's leading cultural and commercial institutions. The firm was founded in 1977 by interactive pioneer Edwin Schlossberg with the mission to create informed conversations in public spaces that encourage participation and empower people to create positive change. Clients include Sony, Best Buy, McDonald's, Reuters, Mercy Corps, and the Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation. For examples of the firm's work, please visit www.esidesign.com.

Contact Information: Na Eng Senior Communications Officer Mercy Corps www.mercycorps.org www.actioncenter.org 212-537-0522 Rosalia Scampoli Marketcom www.marketcompr.com 212-537-5177 ext. 7