[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 53 (Thursday, May 5, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     TRIBUTE TO FATHER DAN MADIGAN

                                 ______


                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 5, 1994

  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Father Dan 
Madigan, a Sacramento legend whose tireless work for the homeless, the 
hungry, and the sick will be recognized on April 14, 1994, with a 
tribute dinner also honoring his 30th anniversary as a priest.
  Evidence of Father Madigan's commitment to the greater Sacramento 
community is found in many places but perhaps his most widely 
recognized contribution is Sacramento Food Bank Services, of which he 
is the founder and director.
  Over the years, his call to uplift and empower the poor has been 
aided by numerous individuals, volunteer organizations, and funding 
sources. With a great vision and a great sense of management, Father 
Madigan has woven SFBS' contributions together to form a vast safety 
net which literally saves the lives of thousands of Sacramentans each 
year.
  Today, the SFBS operates in 6 different locations, collectively 
feeding over 200,000 families each year. Apart from feeding people, 
SFBS clothes families for free; teaches adults literacy skills one-on-
one; offers young mothers parenting and skills-building classes in 
exchange for baby diapers and formula; houses homeless families; 
operates a special Sunday lunch program; and offers volunteers 55 years 
and older special services through its Senior Bridge Builders Club.
  Dan Madigan arrived in Sacramento in March 1967, where he began 
serving the first of several disadvantaged parishes. In 1975, after 
receiving his master's degree in social work, he was appointed pastor 
of Immaculate Conception Church, Sacramento's largest inner-city 
parish. It was there that his commitment to the poor was manifested in 
the outstanding assistance programs and organizations which are now 
synonymous with his name.
  In 1976, Father Madigan witnessed and responded to the needs of over 
3,000 hungry men, women and children--needs that have escalated during 
years of steady increase in the number of hungry people, many without 
homes, in neighborhoods marked with drugs, crime, and violence.
  The network of support which Father Madigan has assembled in his 
nearly 30 years in Sacramento is one of our greatest community 
resources. In addition to food, shelter, and clothing, Father Madigan 
is a source of hope and his gift of a brighter and more secure future 
is one for which thousands of fellow Sacramentans are eternally 
grateful.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting the 
outstanding contributions Father Dan Madigan has made to the greater 
Sacramento area. His long-term commitment to the growing segment of our 
population so desperate for his service is proof that he is a community 
leader we would all do well to emulate.

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