[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 138 (Thursday, October 2, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S12369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CONGRATULATIONS TO DEBORAH FLATEMAN AND VERMONT FOOD BANK

 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I want to take a few minutes to 
congratulate and thank Vermont Foodbank and its Chief Executive 
Officer, Deborah Flateman, for their inspired tenacity and expertise in 
the fight against hunger in Vermont. Access to nutritional food is a 
fundamental right for all people and the Vermont Foodbank's philosophy 
seeks to eradicate the persistence of hunger by constructing a system 
that assures every person--not just the poor--equal access to quality 
food. According to the Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity, food 
shelf caseloads have increased 69 percent over the past 10 years. 
Vermont Foodbank's contribution to the cause has more than quadrupled 
over the past 6 years, from 1.5 million pounds of food distributed in 
1997 to more than 7 million in 2003.
  As its leader, Deborah Flateman has devoted her energy and expertise 
to placing the Vermont Foodbank on the fast track towards ending 
hunger. From successfully raising $2.1 million and building a state of 
the art facility, to hiring quality personnel, to partnering with the 
Vermont state government to create and implement an innovative 
Community Kitchen, Ms. Flateman has raised the standards of best 
practice. The Vermont Foodbank is a lively organization with a strong 
ethical base and a stellar reputation.
  Deborah Flateman's personal achievements illustrate her vested 
commitment to ending hunger. In addition to exhibiting leadership on 
the local and State levels. Ms. Flateman has occupied posts on the 
national and international levels for America's Second Harvest, 
including work on an international conference planning committee and 
the Public Policy Task Force. In the year 2000, Ms. Flateman personally 
solicited $800,000 for new facilities to accommodate the Foodbank's 
growing operation. She has also been an integral member of the Eastern 
Region Affiliates Association of America's Second Harvest, and was 
elected chairperson in 2002. Recently, Ms. Flateman accepted the Model 
Program Hunger's Hope Award from America's Second Harvest on behalf of 
the Vermont Foodbank.
  With Deborah Flateman at the helm, the Vermont Foodbank has done a 
first rate job in addressing hunger in the Green Mountain State. The 
Vermont Foodbank has made exceptional progress in a short time, and its 
successes mark victory after victory in the fight against 
hunger.

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