Hungry Americans Still Waiting for Farm Bill
America’s Second Harvest Urges Congress and Administration To Enact Farm Bill
CHICAGO --- April 29, 2008 --- Lines for emergency food assistance nationwide are growing longer, supplies at food banks are becoming more and more sparse, and food prices continue to climb. Meanwhile, millions of hungry Americans and the nation’s emergency feeding organizations await relief from a new Farm Bill that would provide increased funding for federal nutrition programs, including the Food Stamp Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
“I can not overemphasize how important it is for our elected officials in Washington, including President Bush, to complete their work on the Farm Bill and bring hope to the 25 million Americans our network serves,” said Vicki Escarra, president and chief executive officer of America’s Second Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network. “Food banks are reporting more than 20 percent increases over last year, on average, in the number of people turning to their services for help.”
Recent reports estimate that more than 28 million Americans receive food stamp benefits, and most analysts expect that number to climb even higher in the near future. Though more people are seeking assistance through food stamps, their purchasing power is decreasing as a result of rising food prices. Food stamp benefit levels are only set once per year, and food prices have increased 5.5 percent since the last benefit adjustment—making it even harder for low-income individuals and families to put food on the table.
“There is no end in sight for rising food prices,” said Escarra. “That will drive more people to seek emergency food assistance from our network, and strain the ability of food companies to provide incremental donations to emergency feeding organizations. We need Congress to pass a Farm Bill with a strong nutrition title as quickly as possible, which will provide relief to hungry people across the United States.”
Support from the federal bonus commodity program for emergency feeding organizations has dropped nearly $200 million per year since the enactment of the 2002 Farm Bill, due to a decline in need for the federal government to buy surplus food to support farmers. America’s Second Harvest is advocating for an increase in mandatory funding for TEFAP from $140 million a year to $250 million a year, with the amount indexed for inflation. The result will be a more stable source of government commodities to feed hungry Americans.
A new Farm Bill would also improve the Food Stamp Program, enabling more people to participate, and making long-overdue improvements in benefit levels.
“Hungry Americans need a Farm Bill now,” said Escarra. “I commend the conference committee and Congressional leadership on their progress toward reaching an agreement financing the bill, and I urge the entire Congress and the President to complete the work as soon as possible.”
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America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through its network of more than 200 member food banks, America's Second Harvest annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each year, America's Second Harvest secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. To learn more, please visit www.secondharvest.org.
Contact:
Maura Daly
312.641.6421
Ross Fraser
312.641.6422
