[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H5985-H5987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK ON THEIR 25TH ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I wonder how many of us have 
experienced hunger in our lives. I wonder how many recognize the number 
of Americans who go to bed every night hungry.
  It is for this reason that I rise to salute the Houston Food Bank on 
its 25th anniversary and to acknowledge the 25 years that the Houston 
Food Bank, connected to many food banks around America, has served our 
community, serving nearly 500,000 hungry men, women, children and their 
families.
  I would like to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to the 
staff, the board of directors, volunteers and friends of the Houston 
Food Bank that have generated this most important and especially 
deserving organization in our community.
  Hunger is devastating, but, more importantly, hunger can kill. It can 
kill, because those who suffer can have low nutrition that leads, if 
you will, to their vulnerability to disease and, yes, ultimately death. 
Most Americans are not familiar with the extremes of hunger. But, yet, 
it faces our community, or we are faced with it every single day.
  In southeast Texas alone, more than 900,000 people are food insecure, 
meaning they do not know where their food will come from or the next 
meal will come from. Many children go to school, and their only meal 
are the free lunches and breakfasts.
  So it is with great honor and privilege that I pay tribute to the 
Houston

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Food Bank and for the celebration that they had today on the steps of 
City Hall. I was delighted to be able to briefly attend, as I headed 
back to Washington, and I am even more privileged to be able to salute 
them tonight.
  Might I also acknowledge the End Hunger Network, whose programs 
remove the barriers, lack of transportation, marketing and experience, 
that prevent Houston from using available food resources. They are a 
very able partner to the Houston Food Bank.
  But let me acknowledge again that this organization that acknowledges 
the fact that nearly 900,000 individuals in southeast Texas are food 
insecure and this very organization that on a given day in the greater 
Houston area, where more than 33,000 people suffer from hunger, the 
Houston Food Bank feeds more than 80,000 people each week, because they 
are very much aware of the struggles that people who cannot feed 
themselves or provide for themselves engage in.
  This organization was first developed in the mid-1960s by retired 
businessman John van Engel, using surplus crops from local farmers. The 
Houston Food Bank first opened on March 8, 1982, operating from a 
donated storefront in a local shopping center.
  That organization now is on the 59 North freeway in the 18th 
Congressional District, which is my congressional district. During its 
first year alone, the organization was able to distribute 1 million 
pounds of food to hungry families in the Houston area. By 1984, the 
Houston Food Bank had joined the Second Harvest Network, an 
organization formed in the mid-1970s, to set up food banks throughout 
the country. This is part of a national commitment and a national 
passion, a national avocation.
  I believe that we should, in our lifetime, stamp out hunger. By the 
end of 1984, the Houston Food Bank was handling more than 3 million 
pounds of food. Since that time, the Houston Food Bank has continued to 
exponentially expand its operations, moving to a new permanent home and 
reaching more and more needy citizens, again located in the 18th 
Congressional District.
  My community has also been represented in the past by the Honorable 
Mickey Leland. The Houston Food Bank is a tribute to him. Mickey Leland 
lost his life on the side of an Ethiopian mountain trying to deliver 
food to the starving Ethiopians in the 1980s.
  Today around the world, people are hungry, and here in the United 
States they remain hungry. One in four children in Houston lives at or 
below the poverty level. On any given day, as I said earlier, 33,000 
gulf coast residents are hungry. But we are grateful for the Houston 
Food Bank for its 38 million pounds of food distribution last year, the 
80,000 people fed each week, nearly 400 hunger programs that are 
supported by the food bank in 18 southeast Texas counties, church food 
pantries, homeless shelters, safe havens for the battered and abused, 
nutrition sites for children and the elderly, more than 100,000 
volunteer hours contributed annually, and 73,000 square foot central 
warehouse and other space truck fleet. We can be assured of the fact 
that the Houston Food Bank is on the front lines of the war against 
hunger. It is my privilege to pay tribute to them today for 25 years of 
selfless, hard work of the volunteers and the leadership of their 
organization.
  Might I acknowledge, Mr. Speaker, as I close that they also serve the 
Kids Cafe, the Backpack Buddy Club, Operation Frontline, Community 
Kitchen Culinary Academy, and today Kroger food store gave $100,000 to 
the Houston Food Bank.
  Keep the fight up for another 25 years for together we will stamp out 
hunger.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to pay tribute to the Houston Food Bank, 
on the occasion of their 25th anniversary. For the past 25 years, the 
Houston Food Bank has been serving our community, feeding nearly 
500,000 hungry men, women, and children. I would like to express my 
sincere thanks to the staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, and 
friends of the Houston Food Bank for all their courageous work, and 
commend them for making a positive difference in the lives of hundreds 
of thousands of people in the Houston area.
  Hunger is a devastating condition that plagues communities in 
America, as well as nations throughout the world. We have all 
experienced the symptoms of temporary hunger, and we know all too well 
the lethargy, weakness, and inability to concentrate that hunger pains 
can cause. Even with this knowledge, it is difficult to imagine living 
with these symptoms daily, always wondering where the next bit of 
nourishment will come from. It is unthinkable to fathom the plight of 
parents, forced to choose between feeding their children and paying to 
heat their homes. It is nearly impossible to envision the prospect of 
facing the world with a perpetually empty stomach.
  And yet, this is a scenario that is all too real for hundreds of 
thousands of Americans. In southeast Texas alone, more than 900,000 
people are ``food insecure,'' or they do not know where their next meal 
will come from. Nationwide, the statistics are just as staggering, with 
one in 100 households experiencing hunger, and 11.9% of families 
nationwide suffering from food insecurity.
  Particularly vulnerable are children. In southeast Texas, 44% of 
those hungry are under 18 years old, while nationally one in every five 
children does not know where their next meal will be found. These 
children suffer particularly in the summer, when schools are closed. 
Mr. Speaker, our children should be concerned about their grades in 
school; they should spend their days studying, dreaming up and planning 
future careers, engaging in athletic activities, and socializing with 
their friends. They should not be expected to worry about food; they 
should not have to wonder where they might find proper nourishment.
  Into this bleak situation come organizations like the Houston Food 
Bank. Food banks were first developed in the mid-1960s by retired 
businessman John van Engel, using surplus crops from local farmers. The 
Houston Food Bank first opened on March 8, 1982, operating from a 
donated store-front in a local shopping center. During its first year 
alone, the organization was able to distribute 1,000,000 pounds of food 
to hungry families in the Houston area.
  By 1984, the Houston Food Bank had joined the Second Harvest Network, 
an organization formed in the mid-1970s to set up food banks throughout 
the country. By the end of 1984, the Houston Food Bank was handling 
more than 3,000,000 pounds of food. Since that time, the Houston Food 
Bank has continued to exponentially expand its operations, moving to a 
new permanent home and reaching more and more needy citizens.
  Today, the Houston Food Bank distributes 38 million pounds of food 
each year to nearly 400 hunger agencies in 18 counties in southeast 
Texas. This food reaches 80,000 different people each week, and about 
498,000 people a year. These numbers are absolutely staggering. That's 
nearly 500,000 grateful men, women, and children, who, thanks to the 
tireless efforts of the staff, volunteers, and supporters of the 
Houston Food Bank are granted some security in their uncertain worlds.
  Mr. Speaker, I am particularly proud to mention the Houston Food 
Bank's programs for children. Of the 80,000 individuals that the food 
bank feeds each week, about 44% are children. Children who are hungry 
cannot concentrate in school; they will not have the energy to play 
sports or enjoy other activities with their peers. They are also more 
prone to illnesses and other health issues. With these unfortunate 
facts in mind, the Houston Food Bank has developed the Kid's Cafe 
program, one of the nation's largest nutrition education programs, 
providing children with the nourishment they may not get at home. 
Through the collaboration of local chefs, dietitians, students and 
volunteers, Kid's Cafe is able to provide 500 kids each month with 
nutritious meals in safe surroundings. The program goes on to emphasize 
food safety, nutrition education, and hands-on instruction, helping to 
instill in these children the skills and knowledge they need to create 
healthy lifestyles.
  The Houston Food Bank also touches the lives of needy children 
through the Backpack Buddy Club. Because many hungry children receive 
meager or no meals on weekends, the Houston Food Bank has implemented a 
program to give children backpacks, filled with food that is child-
friendly, nonperishable, easily consumed and vitamin fortified, every 
Friday in participating schools. This program ensures that local 
children can receive proper nutrition even on days that they are not in 
the classroom.
  In addition to these two programs, the Houston Food Bank operates a 
number of other initiatives designed to provide nutrition education, 
outreach, and job training to the local community. These programs are 
crucial to the development of positive nutrition habits, and they speak 
to the very real long-term needs of the community.
  The Houston Food Bank has also proven its leadership in disaster 
relief, successfully accommodating the sharp increases in demand 
following the catastrophic Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Since September 
2005, volunteers

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traveling from as far away as Hawaii have distributed nearly 9 million 
pounds of food in disaster relief. The Houston Food Bank successfully 
provided relief to hurricane evacuees displaced from their homes, their 
belongings, and their livelihoods. Organizations like the Houston Food 
Bank have been a crucial aspect of ensuring that hurricane victims have 
felt welcome and well-treated in Houston.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Brian Greene, 
the President and CEO of the Houston Food Bank, together with the Board 
of Directors, the staff, the many dedicated volunteers, and all other 
supporters of the Houston Food Bank. These individuals are making a 
profound impact in their local community, and they are changing the 
worlds of thousands of hungry children. I thank you for your service to 
our community and your compassion to your fellow humans, and I wish you 
every success in future endeavors.

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