S. 1172: Hunger Free Communities Act
Mr. President, President Eisenhower once
stated, ``Every gun that is made, every warship that is launched, every
rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who
hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This
world in armaments is not spending its money alone: it is spending the
sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its
children.''
In as trying a time as we live in today, his
statement cannot ring more true. We are in the middle of a war with no
seeming end in sight. We have daily debates about the numbers in our
budget. But President Eisenhower was right. We are not spending our
money alone.
In a Nation as rich as ours, we should be
able to arrange our priorities to meet the needs of our country, but
the unfortunate reality is that in the United States today, children go
hungry. Children count on school, not only for education but also for
their meals. Seniors are forced to make a choice between life-saving
medicines and groceries for their meals. Families are forced to make
the difficult choice between paying for food and paying for utilities
or their rent or mortgage or even their medicine or medical care. This
is the reality of our America.
As Senators, we often hear
from families that tell us the difficulty in making ends meet. More and
more working families are turning to food banks, pantries and soup
kitchens for emergency food assistance. When examining the actual costs
of housing, food, utilities and other necessities, researchers have
found that in most areas of the country, families need about 200
percent of the poverty level to achieve ``minimal economic
self-sufficiency.'' Individuals and families are faced with a cost of
living that continues to rise and an increasing gap between what
low-wage workers earn and what is required to meet basic needs.
In my State of Illinois, over 158,000 Illinois households
experienced hunger in 2005. If we include households that have had to
struggle to put food on the table or have had to skip meals to make
sure the food would last through the week--that's 440,000 households in
Illinois living with food insecurity--9 percent of Illinois households.
These are working families who need more to lead healthy, happy lives.
Fortunately, we have some programs in existence to offer hope. Since
President Johnson started the war on poverty, we have documented that
the Federal nutrition programs work to reduce hunger. When people are
able to use Food Stamps, there are enough groceries to last through the
week. When new moms are helped by WIC, they and their babies have
enough milk and eggs and fruit. When senior citizens are near a
Commodity Supplemental Food Program site, they can take home a box of
food to fill the pantry AND buy their prescription drugs. Our school
children can fill their stomachs and then focus on learning--because of
the Federal school food program. In cases of emergency, like the tragic
occurrences of hurricanes, our Federal nutrition assistance programs
have been there to assist families in need. These Federal food programs
work, but more can be done.
Last Congress, I introduced
the Hunger Free Communities Act with Senators Lincoln, Smith and Lugar.
The bill creates new grant programs that help communities make the most
of the Federal nutrition programs and build on their successes.
First, the bill makes grant money available to local groups that are
working to eliminate hunger in their communities . Each day, soup
kitchens serve meals, and food pantries give groceries, and volunteers
collect food, make sandwiches, and deliver food. Our bill creates an
anti-hunger grant program--the first of its kind--that asks communities
to access hunger and hunger relief at the local level. Grant money is
available to help with that assessment or grant money can be used to
help fill in the gaps that a local plan identifies.
Second, we create a funding stream that food banks and soup kitchens
can use to keep up their buildings and trucks and kitchen equipment.
The response of the food bank network to the crisis after hurricanes
Katrina and Rita was remarkable. Tons of food was donated, transported
and delivered by thousands of volunteers from all over the country. But
within days, America's Second Harvest recognized the food banks needed
freezers, forklifts, delivery trucks and repairs to warehouses and
equipment. My bill creates the only Federal funding stream specifically
for the capital needs of local hunger relief efforts. Helping these
organizations is especially important for those organizations in
underserved areas and areas where rates of food insecurity, hunger,
poverty, or unemployment are higher than the national average.
Late last Congress, the Hunger Free Communities Act was passed by
the Senate. I had hoped that there might be time for the House to act
on it before the Session ended, but we ran out of time. This was,
however, a small victory. It was a small step toward progress--a step
that both Democrats and Republicans want to take for the health and
well-being of our communities .
There are still too many
parents in this country who skip meals because there is not enough
money in the family food budget for them and their children to eat
every night. There are still too many babies and toddlers in America
who are not getting the nutrition their minds and bodies need to
develop to their fullest potential. There are too many seniors, and
children, who go to bed hungry. In the richest Nation in the history of
the world, that is unacceptable.
Progress against hunger
is possible, even with a war abroad and budget deficits at home. I am
heartened by the 43 United States Senators who agreed with me and
cosponsored the Hunger Free Communities Act last year. I am heartened
by the support of the Illinois Coalition on huner, Bread for the World
and America's Second Harvest. Congress will be reauthorizing many
nutrition programs this year with the farm bill, and the Hunger Free
Communities Act should be a part of that. I believe this bill can take
a modest but meaningful step toward eliminating huger in this country.
We tried to make that first step when the bill passed the Senate late
last year. We can do it again and should.