[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 16 (Thursday, February 26, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E248-E250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             EMPTY SHELVES: 1998 SURVEY OF U.S. FOOD BANKS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TONY P. HALL

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 1998

  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I commend to my colleagues' attention 
the following report on the tremendous challenges food banks across the 
United States are facing. Despite our booming economy, demand is rising 
at surprising rates in most communities.
  Here in Congress, most of the talk about hunger has focused on 
welfare and the reform bill that we passed in 1996. But when you leave 
Washington, the focus shifts to the food banks. That's where hungry 
people turn when they've run out of options, and it's where the 
millions of Americans who regularly donate to canned food drives send 
their support.
  The food banks are in trouble. I am not here to rehash welfare 
reform, Mr. Speaker, and I was surprised that most food banks aren't 
interested in doing that either. As the food bank in Montgomery, 
Alabama put it, ``We are doing our best to meet the need, and we think 
in the end we will help make welfare reform work.'' A lot of food banks 
expressed similar optimism, and I share their hope. I think all of us 
do.
  Of all the ways we can make welfare reform work, food is the least 
expensive one. Job training, transportation to get to a job, child 
care, health care--these are all pricey investments. Food is an 
investment too--although some people talk as if food is like a carrot 
you dangle in front of a mule to make it go where you want it to go. 
That might work with animals, but it simply doesn't work with people.
  Hungry makes people tired. It saps their spirit and drive. It robs 
them of the concentration they need to learn job skills. It forces them 
to focus on where their next few meals are coming from--instead of on 
finding a job, or holding one. And it makes them prone to get sick, 
from every flu bug that comes around, and up to some very serious 
diseases.
  When Congress enacted welfare reform, we increased federal support 
for food banks by $100 million--but the money inserted into the gap 
between need and supply is falling far short. We originally took away 
$23 billion from food stamp recipients. But we gave just $100 million 
to food banks. With that, they are struggling to provide just a few 
days worth of emergency food to the people who've lost their food 
stamps, or whose food stamps don't last the entire month. It's just not 
enough.
  It made common sense to increase our support for food banks 
significantly, and we did just that. With evidence mounting that this 
still falls impossibly short of what is needed--and that many food 
banks simply cannot make it without more support--it makes common sense 
to revisit the decision on the appropriate amount of additional 
support.
  This survey of food banks adds to the evidence of booming demands on 
food banks. It is not designed to be statistical analysis. But it does 
provide perspective from around the country--a window on what is 
happening in communities of every size.
  What I found most striking overall is that, of the food banks that 
estimated the increase in demand for food, 70% reported demand grew 
much faster than 16%. That is the rate reported in a December 1997 
survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors that shocked me, and many other 
Americans. And yet so many food banks are reporting even higher rates. 
I think it underscores the fact that poverty reaches beyond our cities. 
It scars rural committees and suburban ones too--a fact that many 
people overlook when they conjure in their minds the image of a welfare 
mom, or a food stamp recipient, or someone in line at the local food 
pantry.
  Beyond that, the story of hunger in America that the food banks are 
documenting is an individual one. It increasingly features working 
people, whose low-wage jobs don't pay enough to put food on the table. 
Often, it includes people for whom hunger is a symptom of deeper 
problems--of illiteracy, a lack of education, a history of substance or 
domestic abuse. But equally often it includes people who are trying to 
climb out of their problems, trying to improve their prospects and 
willing to participate in initiatives aimed at giving them the tools 
they need, And, when the story includes a food bank, it always features 
people doing the Lord's work--and in increasingly creative ways. The 
survey describes some of those approaches, and I think many of them 
deserve attention and praise.

  The food banks, and the hungry people who are doing their best to 
escape poverty, cannot do it alone. We need a range of initiatives to 
fill the gaps, and I will be using this survey to support my work on at 
least three ideas:
  First, and most immediately, the food banks need more money. I am 
working on a bill now, but the fact is that even millions of dollars 
would be a small investment in making sure that welfare reform 
succeeds. I'm also looking into including the President's request for 
$20 million to support gleaning initiatives, because food banks rely 
heavily on gleaned food.
  Second, we need to end the tax law's discrimination against 
charitable donations from farmers and businesses who want to donate 
food. Current law says the value of food is nothing more than the cost 
of its ingredients--which already are deducted as a cost of doing 
business.
  That means it makes no difference to the green eyeshades in 
``Accounting'' whether the food is donated or dumped. In fact, it costs 
a few pennies more to donate the food (in transportation or labor 
costs). The same is true for farmers: why not plow under unsold crops, 
if it costs you time or money to donate them instead? Many businesses 
and farmers donate food anyway--but many more probably would if we 
treat food as a charitable donation, in the same way that old clothes 
and other donated goods are treated.
  Late last year, I introduced the Good Samaritan Tax Act, H.R. 2450, 
and I urge my colleagues to support that. I also am looking into ways 
we can remove obstacles to trucking companies and others who can help 
get food to hungry people.
  Third, we must increase the minimum wage. As the Latham, New York 
food bank put it, ``The fastest growing group of people being served by 
food pantries is the working poor. That is a disgrace. Minimum wage 
should lift people out of poverty.''
  There are other good anti-hunger initiatives as well, but if we are 
serious about answering the clear call of food banks in trouble, these 
three ought to be at the top of the agenda.
  Food banks have been doing the hard work on the front lines of 
fighting hunger for decades. They are supported by their communities, 
and they are the organizations that increasing numbers of citizens turn 
to. In my own state of Ohio, one in nine people seek emergency food 
assistance every month, according to a September 1997 report by the 
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  When I visited my local food bank in Dayton recently, I was amazed to 
find it was the same place I had come often in the past. Then, the 
shelves were brimming with food--and good food too. Lately, the shelves 
have been empty, and when I visited it seemed they contained more 
marshmallows than nutritious staple foods. I was able to convince 
Kroger to make a generous donation to help Dayton's food bank. I urge 
my colleagues to see for themselves what is happening in their own 
communities, and to lend a hand in whatever way you can to answer this 
growing need.
  Increasing numbers of people are so hungry they're willing to stand 
in line for food, Mr. Speaker. I cannot rest knowing that, too often, 
there is no food at the end of that line. And I urge my colleagues to 
take a few minutes to review this report, and to see the situation for 
themselves.

             Empty Shelves: 1998 Survey of U.S. Food Banks

  A Report by Hon. Tony P. Hall, Member of Congress, February 25, 1998


                               background

       In January, 1998 I surveyed more than 200 food banks to 
     learn their experience in meeting the needs of the people, 
     and the charities that serve them, who turn to food banks. 
     Fifty-five responded in detail.
       The questionnaire was designed to accomplish two goals. 
     First, it would provide information that could be used to 
     gauge the depth of a phenomenon documented in the U.S. 
     Conference of Mayors' December 1997 report, which found 16 
     percent more people were turning to food banks for assistance 
     in 1997

[[Page E249]]

     than just a year earlier. Second, it would yield a response--
     including a weekly grocery list--that could be sent to 
     Members of Congress or corporations who may be able to 
     provide publicity or other help in meeting their local food 
     bank's practical needs.
       The questionnaire posed these questions: (1) Is the demand 
     for your services greater than you are able to meet? If so, 
     please characterize the extent of unmet need. (2) Is the 
     demand for your services increasing? If so, can you estimate 
     how much it has grown in the past year? (3) What additional 
     resources--food or money--do you need to answer the immediate 
     needs of the people you serve? (4) What solutions to the 
     problems of hunger and poverty are most promising in your 
     experience?


                          summary of findings

       The overwhelming majority of those who responded indicated 
     that food banks are having increasing difficulty keeping 
     enough food on their shelves to feed those in need. Seven of 
     every 10 food banks that estimated how much demand was up 
     responded that it was rising even faster than the 16 percent 
     increase documented by the Mayors. This does not challenge 
     their findings; it simply underscores the fact--often 
     overlooked--that poverty reaches beyond the inner city to 
     scar much of rural and suburban America as well.
       Food banks also emphasized that many of their clients are 
     working, but cannot afford to put food on the table at the 
     low wages they are earning. Living-wage jobs were the 
     favorite suggestion of those who made policy recommendations, 
     but with the qualification that low-paying jobs only prolong 
     the problem.
       The responses endorsed the goals of welfare reform, 
     although many questioned the route chosen to reach those 
     goals. And many of the food banks responding described 
     creative and promising approaches to some problems their 
     clients encountered regularly. Among these are programs 
     designed to help clients manage their money better, address 
     their child care needs, and take other steps toward self-
     sufficiency.
     Finding: Demand at Food Banks is Booming
       Estimating the increase in need for emergency food is a 
     challenge, food banks report. It is the rare organization 
     that can confidently say it is meeting its community's needs. 
     It is an overwhelmingly common view that more food can always 
     be used.
       Most of the food banks limit the help they extend, often 
     providing enough food for only two to five days each month. 
     As food banks across Arizona found, ``pantries are reporting 
     that residents in need are regularly exhausting the number of 
     times they can receive emergency food boxes.'' The question 
     becomes, is demand up--or are we just realizing there are 
     more hungry people than we knew?
       The increased need is clear, however, in the new faces 
     turning up in lines for food, many say. For example:
       In Camden, New Jersey, one-third of the 215 non-profits the 
     food bank serves are reporting a 50 percent increase in 
     first-time requests. The rest say demand is up between 30 and 
     40 percent.
       In Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, one in ten clients are first-
     timers. That food bank has seen no increase, but believes 
     that welfare reform has not yet hit the region.
       Beyond this indicator, the sheer numbers of people turning 
     to food banks for help is strong evidence that, in the words 
     of an Evansville, Indiana food bank, ``we can't begin to meet 
     this need,'' or as a food bank in Wilmington, North Carolina 
     put it, ``I feel we are only scratching the surface. We will 
     never be able to solve hunger, but maybe we can make an 
     effort at managing it.''
       In Everett, Washington, demand has almost tripled in the 
     past year for its three-day food boxes, available to clients 
     just once a month. In Abilene, Texas, the food bank is 
     keeping up with demand, but only by ``feeding twice the 
     number of people we fed last year.''
       In Kansas City, Missouri, charities served by the food bank 
     are reporting increased demand from 60 percent to 138 
     percent. One in five of these agencies had to cut down on the 
     amount given to each client; one in ten had to turn people 
     away.
       Demand is up 60 percent in both Lame Deer, Montana and 
     Elizabeth City, North Carolina. And in Asheville, North 
     Carolina, demand was 52 percent higher in the last half of 
     1997 than in the first half.
       Crookston, Minnesota's 1997 flood turned out to be a 
     blessing because it brought out the generosity of Americans, 
     as natural disasters so often do. ``Partly as a result of the 
     flood we have enough food and funds at this time,'' Crookston 
     reports. Still, they distributed 50 percent more food in 
     1997--not counting the disaster relief--and usually run short 
     of meat for their clients.
       In Ladson, South Carolina, the food bank estimates it is 
     meeting only half of the need for food, yet demand still grew 
     45 percent over the past year. Fredericksburg, Virginia's 
     food bank reports a similar situation. ``We could distribute 
     three times the food we now do,'' it says; actual demand is 
     up 42 percent.
       In Atlanta, Georgia and Tyler, Texas, demand is up 30 
     percent over a year ago. In Cumberland, Maryland it is up 37 
     percent. In Phillipsburg, New Jersey, with demand up 30 
     percent, ``we are just able to keep our heads above water,'' 
     the food bank reports.
       Food banks reporting increases of one-fourth to one-fifth 
     over last year include those in Montgomery, Alabama; Phoenix, 
     Arizona; Evansville, Indiana; Lewiston, Maine; Boston, 
     Massachusetts; Hancock, Michigan; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; 
     and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
       In Oregon, demand is up 18 percent statewide. Across Ohio, 
     food banks report increases of 10 percent. This is still 
     considerable, considering that one in eight Ohioans seeks 
     emergency food assistance every month, according to a 
     September 1997 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
       There were smaller increases reported, too, of: 17 percent 
     in Bloomington, Indiana; 17 percent in Des Moines, Iowa; 15 
     percent in Norfolk, Nebraska; 13 percent in St. Louis, 
     Missouri; 10 percent in Grand Rapids, Michigan; 8-9 percent 
     in Orange, California; 4 percent in Howell, Michigan; 4 
     percent in Tillamook, Oregon (but which saw demand rise 27 
     percent the prior year); and 9 percent in Silverdale, 
     Washington.
       And the food banks are not alone. The charities that many 
     of them depend upon report increasing numbers of people are 
     turning to them for food.
       The food bank serving Elizabeth City, North Carolina, has 
     seen 15 charities that long have been in existence turn to 
     the food bank after welfare reform. Among all of the agencies 
     it serves, one in three is ``stretching'' food to try to help 
     more people; one in four is unable to keep up with the demand 
     no matter what it tries, it found in its own survey.
       In Cumberland, Maryland, 50 charities have signed up for 
     help from the food bank, bringing a one-third jump in the 
     number of organizations that rely upon the food bank.
       In Mobile, Alabama, demand is up 35 percent. Half of that 
     is due to serving more individuals. There are more charities 
     operating food pantries in Fort Smith, Arkansas as well. And 
     across Arizona, there are nearly 15 percent more charities 
     being served by food banks.
       In Norfolk, Nebraska, several large agencies have closed 
     their doors because they lacked money or manpower, 
     compounding the 15 percent increase in overall demand.
       In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, many charities cannot even 
     afford the subsidized prices of products the food bank 
     offers.
       Nor is the demand for just an added boost--it is for much 
     more intensive help.
       In Lubbock, Texas, ``increasing numbers of people turn to 
     the food bank and our partner agencies as a first stop for 
     emergency food assistance--rather than a resource for 
     stretching food budgets.''
       Charities in Albany, Georgia also ``are being called on 
     more and more to help those in need.''
     Finding: Food Banks Need More Resources
       Food banks across the nation are coping with this challenge 
     by ``stretching'' food--putting less into packages for 
     clients, or buying beans and other cheap foods. In Latham, 
     New York, for example, the number of clients has increased by 
     25 percent at some charities, but just 10 percent more food 
     is being distributed. That strategy runs into two obstacles, 
     however.
       First, and obviously, food can only be ``stretched'' so 
     far. Dayton, Ohio's food bank echoes what many others say: 
     ``We are no longer able to provide the variety of food that 
     we used to.'' This problem goes beyond the depressing 
     prospect of eating lousy food day in and day out: without 
     proteins and fresh produce, malnutrition quickly sets in, 
     with all of the health problems that accompany it. Children 
     and the elderly are at special risk.
       Second, in the words of Mobile, Alabama's food bank, ``even 
     those in need are affected by national trends. Many of these 
     people need food products that require minimum preparation.'' 
     For people trying to hold down one or more jobs, this is 
     particularly important. And many foods that offer quick 
     preparation do not lend themselves to being ``stretched.''
       Some food banks try to counter the widespread lack of 
     knowledge about how to spend food dollars wisely with classes 
     on nutrition and managing money. Some go beyond that to 
     provide the skills needed to overcome problems that often are 
     at the root of hunger--including classes on job readiness, 
     overcoming drug, alcohol and domestic abuse, child care and 
     parenting, first aid and home security.
       The grocery lists the survey requested food banks to 
     complete were particularly instructive. It seems that food 
     banks can use almost anything, and the only item in 
     sufficient supply in many communities is day-old bread. Most 
     urgently needed are staple foods, with meat particularly hard 
     to come by. In Boulder, Colorado, ``we almost never have 
     beef, pork, ham or hamburger,'' the food bank reported. It 
     was a comment echoed often by other food banks.
       Personal care items, diapers, soaps and detergents, and 
     paper products--all not covered by food stamps--were another 
     frequent requests. Produce, both fresh and frozen, and all 
     kinds of canned goods are also needed. ``Ensure'' and other 
     supplements, as well as infant formula, also were requested.
       In Lame Deer, Montana, the shelves are bare by the last 
     week of each month, with cereals and soups the first to 
     disappear.
       In Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, ``fresh products are non-
     existent'' throughout each month.
       In Lubbock, Texas, staples are expected to be in short 
     supply by summer.
       After all of the donations are in, money is still needed to 
     make up for ``the staples that aren't often donated,'' as the 
     food banks in Fredericksburg, Virginia and other communities 
     said. Money also would help meet the

[[Page E250]]

     growing need for freezers and refrigerators to store food, 
     and vans to deliver it.
       With money, food banks can buy more food than if they 
     receive food donations directly, Abilene, Texas' food bank 
     explained in a comment repeated often. They also can pay the 
     overhead expenses essential to continuing to supply food. 
     ``Most of all we need more money,'' the food bank in Los 
     Angeles said. ``No matter how frugal we are, our operating 
     costs rise.''
       Food banks also need more volunteers, many said. Finally, 
     most would be lost without commodities provided through 
     federal programs--but most could use a lot more commodities 
     than they are getting.
     Food Banks' Wish List
       In addition to their tangible needs, several food banks 
     described a real need for more public awareness of what the 
     people they serve face--and what food banks are doing to 
     respond. ``Acceptance of the fact that there are poverty and 
     hunger in the United States would be a good start,'' the 
     Waynesburg, Pennsylvania food bank said.
       The Des Moines, Iowa food bank recommends ``a national 
     initiative to raise the awareness of all Americans of the 
     lifelong damage hunger and poverty can do.'' Des Moines and 
     others also advocated giving ``profit-making food industry 
     companies . . . an incentive to donate.''
       Finally, a broader appreciation of their clients' needs 
     would also help food banks do their jobs, some said. ``While 
     our primary goal is to feed the hungry, food does very little 
     good if there is no power to cook it,'' the Silverdale, 
     Washington food bank said, suggesting contributions to 
     electric bills.


                   Strategies Food Banks Use to Cope

     Access to Low-Cost Food
       Food banks are using a variety of ways to meet the 
     challenge of increased demand--and one of the most promising 
     is a push to harness their access to low-cost food.
       For example, the food bank in Mobile, Alabama said, it can 
     provide $350 worth of food each month to families at a cost 
     of $25. If they did that during a transition period, a family 
     could use the money saved on food to pay for transportation, 
     child care, and other costs of starting a new job. ``The 
     bottom line is that when a comparison is made between 
     additional monthly costs of going from welfare to work, and 
     feeding a typical welfare-to-work family, these are 
     approximately equal,'' the food bank has found.
       A Grand Rapids, Michigan food bank has refined the idea 
     further into its ``Waste Not Want Not'' initiative. That 
     helps clients in need save their cash for other necessities. 
     It encourages the donation of funds, which are tax-
     deductible, rather than of food; the result is 25 percent 
     more resources. It lets clients choose their own food, 
     significantly cutting down on the amount of food wasted. And 
     it stays flexible enough to get the food it needs from food 
     banks, rather than from grocery stores. The approach is 
     promising, and the food bank estimates its operating costs 
     have fallen to just over half of food banks' national 
     average.
       Fresno, California's food bank also sees a serious need for 
     low-cost food available at retail for needy people. It serves 
     25-30 percent of its community's needs. Atlanta, Georgia's 
     food bank also recommends cooperatives where low-income 
     people can shop, and Cincinnati, Ohio's food bank 
     recommends more farmers markets. Even food banks are 
     having a difficult time getting low-cost food, according 
     to Orange, California's food bank. ``Food availability is 
     down all over the country. This means we have to purchase 
     more product.''
     ``Do-It-Yourself''
       Many food banks are getting involved in producing food--not 
     just handling it. ``We are grouping, gleaning, and/or 
     processing an increasing amount of vegetables and fruits,'' 
     said the food bank in Lubbock, Texas. ``Not only does this 
     assure fresh food, but it is providing job-training 
     opportunities for many economically disadvantaged persons in 
     our region.''
       An organization in Lansing, Michigan was established to do 
     just that, and it has matched apples, potatoes and other 
     produce from the state's farms with donations of sugar and 
     other ingredients, cold storage, trucking, and food 
     processing to send truckloads of food to the communities that 
     need it.


                          Suggested Solutions

     Jobs
       A considerable majority of food banks support efforts to 
     get people off welfare and back to work. ``Jobs, jobs, 
     jobs!'' a food bank in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania advised. 
     ``When people have good, reasonably paying jobs then there is 
     no hunger, nor the need for our services.''
       Another food bank in Bloomington, Indiana has found that 
     employing needy people in its operation has far-reaching 
     effects. ``Helping someone else is always helpful for 
     yourself,'' its operation has proved.
       Oregon food banks suggested letting people get some cash 
     assistance if they work part-time, and enacting state Earned 
     Income Tax Credits--both initiatives to encourage work.
     Increase the Minimum Wage
       But many also cautioned that low-wage jobs are not enough 
     to end their clients' dependence on emergency food. ``The 
     fastest growing group of people being served by food pantries 
     is the working poor,'' the food bank in Latham, New York 
     complained. ``That is a disgrace. Minimum wage should lift 
     people out of poverty.''
       ``Service sector positions at the minimum wage only 
     continue the crisis,'' a Boston, Massachusetts food bank has 
     found. ``Make it more profitable to work and get ahead,'' 
     said one in Norfolk, Nebraska. ``Full-time work should equal 
     at least enough for necessities,'' the Crookston, Minnesota 
     food bank wrote.
     Skills Training
       A common companion to hunger is the lack not only of 
     appropriate job skills--but of a range of other capabilities 
     as well. Among ``Service sector positions at the minimum wage 
     only continue the crisis,'' a Boston, Massachusetts food bank 
     has found. The recommendations: mentoring, literacy training, 
     money management, nutrition and meal-planning, and 
     ``practical living'' skills. The food bank in St. Louis found 
     that ``programs that lead a family through the system, from 
     the beginning to self-sufficiency'' worked wonders.
     Child Care
       As welfare reform returns people to work, food banks and 
     others are finding that their lack of access to child care is 
     a severe obstacle. ``Affordable and reliable child care is . 
     . . one of our most pressing needs,'' the food bank in 
     Silverdale, Washington said. ``There are many single moms 
     that not only could, but are eager to, get off welfare roles 
     if they could just find a safe, nurturing place to bring the 
     kids--and one that mom could afford.'' That observation was 
     echoed repeatedly, along with a recommendation for more 
     child-feeding programs


                          Long-Term Solutions

       ``We're helping people exist, but can't do much to solve 
     the problems that are keeping them hungry,'' the food bank in 
     Elizabeth City, North Carolina reported.
       ``Somehow we have to get to the roots of hunger and poverty 
     and turn people around in their formative years. . . . Help 
     them to help themselves.'' the food bank in Orange County 
     said. There there may always be a need for ``just a little 
     help with financial emergencies,'' Howell, Michigan's food 
     bank said, but there are many ways to help people overcome 
     their own trouble holding jobs.


                         Political Assessments

       The survey yielded several political assessments about 
     where best to lay blame for the fact of hunger and poverty. 
     ``Undoing all of the liberal policies that have mired 
     millions of our citizens in entitlement dependency,'' was the 
     recommendation from a Verona, Virginia food bank. ``Cut food 
     stamps so people will look for work,'' a food bank in 
     Tillamook, Oregon suggested.
       Far more blamed welfare reform. ``My day of disillusionment 
     came on Aug. 22, 1996 [when] political expediency made a bad 
     bill become law. We've been struggling since that day and it 
     appears for the hungry things will only get worse,'' said the 
     Des Moines, Iowa food bank.
       Another in Boston, Massachusetts called it ``senseless to 
     remove people's means of sustaining their existence without 
     developing an alternative means for them to obtain the 
     necessities for their families.''
       Another took no side in the debate over the role welfare 
     reform has played in the current situation. ``Our concern is 
     not with the political pros and cons of welfare reform but 
     how we can best make what has already been decided upon 
     work,'' said Montgomery, Alabama's food bank.
       And another pointed out the ironic route welfare has 
     traveled. ``There was a time in America's history that the 
     WPA and the CCC built a lot of libraries and camp sites for a 
     lot fewer tax dollars than are required now just to maintain 
     the welfare infrastructure,'' the Silverdale, Washington food 
     bank pointed out.


                              Conclusions

       As states work to replace the federal welfare system with 
     structures of their own, the number of people turning to food 
     banks for emergency assistance is growing. New strategies are 
     being tried, many with success, and they need to be 
     encouraged.
       To ensure Americans who turn to food banks for help do not 
     go hungry, food banks need additional support.
       They need the goodwill and charitable contributions of 
     their community, and that participation of more of its 
     individuals and business.
       They need public and private initiatives that complement 
     their efforts and address the root causes of hunger and 
     poverty.
       They need federal laws that ensure a living wage and 
     encourage generosity.
       And they cannot do without the support of federal funds and 
     a federal commodity foods.
       Ingenuity alone cannot make up for the dramatic cuts in our 
     nation's nutrition safety net. Neither the private sector, 
     nor most local communities, can fill the gap alone.