A retired farm wife from Sanford is brightening up the dinner table this Easter while helping to end global hunger.

For 19 years, Hilda Schulz has sold Manitoba barley for centre pieces as a Canada Foodgrains Bank Fundraiser (CFGB) in the lead up to Easter. She says if you plant barley seeds in a decorative bowl, it grows quickly to make a colourful table accent.

"They grow to look like a bowl of grass," she describes, "and then you put your coloured eggs into this bowl in among the grass to look like a nice centre piece."

Last year, Schulz and her husband raised over $2300 for CFGB, and this year, she thinks they'll be close to that mark once again. Throughout the year, Schulz also sells pails of flax and accepts donations as part of the fundraiser.

She explains the fundraising is focused partly around Easter because of her faith as a Christian.

"Jesus paid the ultimate price," she says, "and He is the source of joy, He is love. He is the sustaining power for all us to walk in Jesus' way. To me this is a good time to do (the fundraiser) because we talk about death, new life, resurrection, and God's love for all mankind."

Schulz says she and her husband have been involved with the CFGB for over 30 years, as they believe the organization does great work in helping feed the hungry around the world.