Geneva - Bob Dylan will donate royalties from his upcoming Christmas album to food aid agencies working in conflict zones and with the world's poor, the United Nations said Thursday. The singer-songwriter's upcoming album of traditional Christmas covers songs, entitled Christmas In The Heart, will be released on October 12, and royalties will be donated to the UN's World Food Programme and, in Britain, to the charity Crisis.
"Here Comes Santa Claus," "Winter Wonderland" and "Little Drummer Boy" will receive Dylan renditions on the album, set to be his 47th official release.
"The number of hungry in the world - many of them children - has hit an historic high while food assistance has reached a historic low," WFP chief Josette Sheeran said in a statement.
She said Dylan's donation would help provide a safety net for the world's poor.
"That the problem of hunger is ultimately solvable means we must each do what we can to help feed those who are suffering and support efforts to find long-term solutions," said Dylan in the statement.
