[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 30 (Friday, February 13, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E279-E280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

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                         HON. G.K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 13, 2009

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the dedication 
and labors of the people at Greenville branch of the Food Bank of 
Central and Eastern North Carolina. The Greenville branch of the Food 
Bank has distributed more than 50 million pounds of food to people in 
10 counties since 1999. While this reflects a tremendous amount of 
success and effort, it also highlights the intensity of hunger facing 
families in eastern North Carolina.
  The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina was established 
in 1980 to provide food to people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in 
central and eastern North Carolina. In 2006-07, the Food Bank 
distributed over 32.6 million pounds of food through 870 partner 
agencies including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and 
afterschool programs for children.
  Nearly 30 percent of the people served by the Food Bank's network are 
children, and another 18 percent are elderly. Thirty-eight percent of 
the families served are the ``working poor''--people who work hard and 
still have to choose between eating and other basic necessities such as 
medicine and housing.
  Even before this severe economic downturn, families were struggling 
to put food on the table. And as the crisis deepens, it is intensifying 
the struggle for millions of Americans to keep from going hungry.
  Food banks across the country are seeing appreciable increases in 
requests at a time when the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 
more than one in ten American households are struggling to get enough 
food.
  In the nation with the safest, most abundant food supply in the 
world, it is unconscionable that so many people go hungry. There is a 
moral obligation and a necessary responsibility we have as Americans to 
ensure a strong country for future generations. I am proud that the 
good people at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina have 
answered that call.
  Madam Speaker, today I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating 
and acknowledging the efforts of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern 
North Carolina, which embodies the essence of what we believe in: local 
citizens and businesses pulling together to help solve a local problem.

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