[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 6, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3782-S3783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 484--DESIGNATING JUNE 7, 2012, AS ``NATIONAL HUNGER 
                            AWARENESS DAY''

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

                              S. Res. 484

       Whereas food insecurity and hunger are a fact of life for 
     millions of individuals in the

[[Page S3783]]

     United States and can produce physical, mental, and social 
     impairments;
       Whereas recent data published by the Department of 
     Agriculture shows that approximately 48,800,000 individuals 
     in the United States live in households experiencing hunger 
     or food insecurity, and of that number, 32,600,000 are adults 
     and 16,200,000 are children;
       Whereas the Department of Agriculture data also shows that 
     households with children experience food insecurity nearly 
     twice as frequently as 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, 2010'', published by the Economic Research 
     Service of the Department of Agriculture, found that in 2010, 
     the most recent year for which data exists--
       (1) 14.5 percent of all households in the United States 
     experienced food insecurity at some point during the year;
       (2) 20.2 percent of all households with children in the 
     United States experienced food insecurity at some point 
     during the year; and
       (3) 7.9 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 in the country;
       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 61,000 local, community-based 
     organizations rely on the support and efforts of more than 
     600,000 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, 2012, 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 anti-hunger advocacy efforts and hunger 
     relief charities, including food banks, food rescue 
     organizations, food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency 
     shelters; and
       (B) by improving programs and public policies that reduce 
     hunger and food insecurity in the United States.

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