[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S11426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            FEED AMERICA DAY

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, I am pleased to have worked 
with Senator Hatch, and my other colleagues in the Senate to 
unanimously pass the Feed America Day resolution.
  Over the past several years, States, cities, and communities 
throughout the country have declared the Thursday before Thanksgiving 
as Feed America Day. In observance of this day, citizens are encouraged 
to sacrifice two meals and donate the money they would have spent on 
food to a local religious or charitable organization for the purpose of 
feeding the hungry.
  As the economic downturn has struck our nation, employment rates have 
dropped and more and more families have had to turn to food banks and 
other emergency food services to meet their day-to-day needs. Our 
emergency food providers are being stretched to their limits to try to 
meet the current demand for assistance. Vicki Metheny, a constituent of 
mine who has run the food bank in San Juan County, NM for the last 18 
years, told my office earlier this week that this is the first time in 
her years of service that she has been really worried about whether the 
food bank will be able to keep up with the unprecedented need in local 
communities. A similar message is coming from food pantries and 
emergency food providers across the country.
  As we approach the Thanksgiving festivities, it is my hope that 
individuals will take the time to think of those in their community who 
may be struggling to keep food on the table. To miss a few meals and 
make a modest donation to a local food pantry is a small thing, but if 
many of us join together in this effort, we can have a large impact. 
And a large impact is what we must have if we are to keep our families 
and food pantries afloat this year.
  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, last year more than 
49 million Americans, including almost 17 million children, live in 
households with either ``low'' or ``very low'' food security, meaning 
that these households cannot keep healthy food on the table without the 
assistance of Federal programs or local emergency food providers. In my 
home State of New Mexico, food insecurity impacts over 14 percent of 
the population.
  There are many efforts underway at the Federal level and at the local 
level to build up the economy and create opportunities for families to 
become more financially stable. This resolution is just one reminder 
that there is a need for assistance in each of our communities, and 
that each of us can and should take steps to confront hunger locally.

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