35 Million Hungry Americans Urgently Need Congress to Enact a Farm Bill
April 16, 2007
Statement attributable to:
Vicki Escarra,
President and CEO of America’s Second Harvest
“Hungry Americans urgently need the 2007 Farm Bill passed. It is that simple. Congress must finish work on the bill before the deadline this Friday. If the bill fails to pass, the consequences for hungry Americans will be devastating.
“Our food bank members across the country have reported tremendous increases in the number of people seeking help to feed their families in the past several months. Soup kitchens and the food pantries are seeing many new faces among those standing in line for assistance.
“Many of these people are the working poor – honest, hard-working people who have low-wage jobs and just can’t make ends meet in these tough economic times. They are in desperate circumstances, struggling to keep a roof over their heads – and to keep their children fed. The recent spike in food and gasoline prices has only made a terrible situation worse.
“At the same time, donations of food from the USDA bonus commodity program have fallen by more than 75 percent in the past four years, forcing our food banks to spend more and more money buying food to meet demand. Last year alone, our food banks spent more than $127 million on food purchases..
“The meeting of conferees on the fate of the Farm Bill is certainly a step in the right direction. As they meet to do their work they must remember that more than 35 million hungry Americans – including 12 million children whose very futures are at risk – are depending on a new Farm Bill with a strong nutrition title. We urge Congress to reconcile its differences on the bill and ensure that Americans have enough food to eat.”
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Contact:
Ross Fraser
312.641.6422
