[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 172 (Thursday, November 19, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S11590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            COMBATING HUNGER

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, as we prepare to depart for the 
Thanksgiving break, I wish to thank those who work to combat hunger in 
this country and to commend the administration for its goal of 
eliminating child hunger by 2015. I encourage the administration to 
work with Congress to find solutions to achieve this goal and end 
hunger in America.
  We must commit ourselves to solving this crisis. The U.S. Department 
of Agriculture has just released findings that 14.6 percent of 
Americans were ``food insecure,'' up from 11.1 percent in 2007. Food 
insecurity is measured by the number of persons who experience hunger 
at some point during the year because they could not afford enough 
food.
  The Agriculture Department also found that one-third of these 
households had what the researchers called ``very low food security,'' 
which mans that they were forced to skip meals or cut portions. The 
other two-thirds of households got by only through reliance on food 
stamps, soup kitchens, and food pantries.
  The nearly 4 percent increase in food insecurity between 2007 and 
2008 is the largest since USDA began reporting hunger statistics in 
1995. Even more disturbing, USDA reports that nearly 17 million 
children live in households where food was scarce at some point during 
the last year. This figure amounts to more than one out of every five 
children in the United States.
  An astonishing 1.1 million children went to sleep hungry at some 
point in 2008--a 36-percent increase from 2007. In my State of 
Maryland, more than 135,000 children currently live in food insecure 
households. Sixty-three thousand of these children are under the age of 
5.
  No child should ever know what it means to be hungry. Childhood 
hunger hinders development in the long term, and children who are 
hungry have difficulty learning and are at much higher risk to be in 
poverty as adults. Hunger negatively affects children's behavior, 
school performance, and cognitive development.
  As we celebrate this holiday season, it is important to reflect on 
how each of us can support our communities. In my home State, the 
employees and volunteers at the Maryland Food Bank provide 14 million 
pounds of food annually to those in need. Working with more than 1,000 
partner organizations, including soup kitchens, senior centers, daycare 
centers and afterschool programs, the food bank works to fill unmet 
needs of Maryland families. In these difficult economic times, the 
services of the Maryland Food Bank are more important than ever.
  During the past year, the staff at the food bank's facilities in 
Baltimore and Salisbury saw demand increase by 50 percent. Middle-class 
families who a year ago made donations to the food bank are now turning 
to the organization to put food on their own tables.
  Americans with full-time jobs are the fastest growing cohort of those 
in need. As unemployment continues to rise, families are being forced 
to spend their savings and are too quickly moving from middle to low 
income. America's working poor are most at risk. They live from 
paycheck to paycheck and have no safety net if their company downsizes 
or their hours are cut. When money is short, Americans are forced to 
make excruciating choices.
  It is estimated that one-third of Marylanders relying on food 
assistance must choose between buying food and paying utility bills. 
Fifty-three percent of those who receive food assistance have unpaid 
medical bills. The number of working poor families in Maryland is 70 
percent higher than it was two decades ago.
  In addition to the food bank, I also want to highlight the work of 
employees at the many social service agencies across our State. These 
dedicated workers devote their time and energy to helping their 
community and work side-by-side with the Maryland Food Bank and other 
organizations to provide meals and services to those in need.
  For example, the Maryland Department of Education works closely with 
the Maryland Food Bank on several projects that provide students with 
nutritious meals. More than 303,000 Maryland children rely on free or 
reduced-price meals in schools. Through the Backpack Program, the food 
bank provides schools such as Baltimore Highlands Elementary with 
backpacks filled with food. Children receive the backpacks on Friday 
afternoons to ensure they are not hungry over the weekend.
  Kids Cafe is an innovative partnership between the food bank, the 
Maryland Department of Education, and local afterschool programs that 
provides nutritious meals and teaches children how to make healthful 
food choices.
  Our seniors are also at risk of food insecurity at much higher levels 
than the general population. I applaud efforts such as the SNAP 
Outreach Program in Maryland, which is a partnership between the USDA 
and local organizations to help register seniors for food assistance 
programs.
  Despite these efforts, we need to do more. In my State alone, it 
would take 82 million pounds of food to support the more than 350,000 
Marylanders in need every year.
  We must recommit ourselves to serving our communities and work 
together to support those in need during these difficult times.
  So as Senators and staff leave Washington for their home States and 
prepare to give thanks and enjoy the company of family and friends, I 
encourage us all to show our support for those who work daily to make 
mealtime possible for millions of Americans in need.

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