This year's World Food Prize will honor two leaders of hunger-fighting groups based  in the United States. The winners are David Beckmann of Bread for the World and Jo Luck of Heifer International. They will share the prize of 250,000 dollars. The World Food Prize usually goes to researchers or top policy officials. This is the first time it will recognize the work of nongovernmental groups. Heifer International provides donated animals and training to farmers in 50 countries. Jo Luck remains president until next year. Under her leadership, the group's budget grew from less than 10,000,000 dollars to more than 130,000,000 dollars. Jo Luck, "People pass on their gifts of not just animals but also gifts of training and leadership. We have seen cases where we have been gone 5 and 10 years and we go back and they have developed roads and built schools, and they have other communities receiving the animals and the training. You just give them those resources and that training and opportunity, and you cannot hold them back." She told the story of a woman from a poor village in Zimbabwe. A family member helped send her to school in the United States with earnings from a donated milk goat. She received a doctoral degree. Jo Luck, "That is what a goat did. That is one example. The animal is only the catalyst . That is the beginning of many other things that follow." David Beckmann became president of Bread for the World in 1991. He is an economist and a Christian clergyman . Bread for the World organizes people from religious and non-religious groups to write, call and visit members of Congress . The purpose is to support measures to improve the lives of the poor. David Beckmann points to big increase in American development assistance. He said, "I think that would not have happened without the support of hundreds of thousands of people and churches that are part of Bread for the World and that keep the pressure on their members of Congress." The prize committee also credited his efforts with helping to increase aid to needy families in the United States. What has David Beckmann done to deserve the prize?
He has trained farmers in 50 countries. He has made a great contribution to science. He has led Bread for the World for more than 20 years. He has aimed to support measures to improve the lives of the poor.