[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 74 (Thursday, May 26, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3454-S3455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 204--DESIGNATING JUNE 7, 2011, AS ``NATIONAL HUNGER 
                            AWARENESS DAY''

  Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Lugar, Mr. 
Moran, Mr. Leahy, and Mr. Brown of Ohio) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 204

       Whereas food insecurity and hunger are a fact of life for 
     millions of individuals in the United States and can produce 
     physical, mental, and social impairments;
       Whereas recent data published by the Department of 
     Agriculture show that approximately 50,200,000 individuals in 
     the United States live in households experiencing hunger or 
     food insecurity, and of that number, 33,000,000 are adults 
     and 17,200,000 are children;
       Whereas the Department of Agriculture data also show that 
     households with children experience nearly twice the rate of 
     food insecurity as those households without children;
       Whereas 4.8 percent of all households in the United States 
     (approximately 5,600,000 households) have accessed emergency 
     food from a food pantry 1 or more times;
       Whereas the report entitled ``Household Food Security in 
     the United States, 2009'' and published by the Economic 
     Research Service of the Department of Agriculture found that 
     in 2009, the most recent year for which data exist--
       (1) 14.7 percent of all households in the United States 
     experienced food insecurity at some point during the year;
       (2) 21.3 percent of all households with children in the 
     United States experienced food insecurity at some point 
     during the year; and
       (3) 7.5 percent of all households with elderly individuals 
     in the United States experienced food insecurity at some 
     point during the year;
       Whereas the problem of hunger and food insecurity can be 
     found in rural, suburban, and urban portions of the United 
     States, touching nearly every community of the United States;
       Whereas, although substantial progress has been made in 
     reducing the incidence of hunger and food insecurity in the 
     United States, many Americans remain vulnerable to hunger and 
     the negative effects of food insecurity;
       Whereas the people of the United States have a long 
     tradition of providing food assistance to hungry individuals 
     through acts of private generosity and public support 
     programs;
       Whereas the Federal Government provides nutritional support 
     to millions of individuals through numerous Federal food 
     assistance programs, including--
       (1) the supplemental nutrition assistance program 
     established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
     U.S.C. 2011 et seq.);
       (2) the child nutrition program established under the 
     Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 
     et seq.);
       (3) the special supplemental nutrition program for women, 
     infants, and children established by section 17 of the Child 
     Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786);
       (4) the emergency food assistance program established under 
     the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501 et 
     seq.); and
       (5) food donation programs;
       Whereas there is a growing awareness of the important role 
     that community-based organizations, institutions of faith, 
     and charities play in assisting hungry and food-insecure 
     individuals;
       Whereas more than 50,000 local, community-based 
     organizations rely on the support and efforts of more than 
     1,000,000 volunteers to provide food assistance and services 
     to millions of vulnerable people; and
       Whereas all people of the United States can participate in 
     hunger relief efforts in their communities by--
       (1) donating food and money to hunger relief efforts;
       (2) volunteering for hunger relief efforts; and
       (3) supporting public policies aimed at reducing hunger: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates June 7, 2011, as ``National Hunger Awareness 
     Day''; and
       (2) calls on the people of the United States to observe 
     National Hunger Awareness Day--
       (A) with appropriate ceremonies, volunteer activities, and 
     other support for local anti-hunger advocacy efforts and 
     hunger relief charities, including food banks, food rescue 
     organizations, food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency 
     shelters; and
       (B) by continuing to support programs and public policies 
     that reduce hunger and food insecurity in the United States.

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