[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 6, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3798-S3799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL HUNGER AWARENESS DAY

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 484, which was 
submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 484) designating June 7, 2012, as 
     National Hunger Awareness Day.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise in honor of National Hunger 
Awareness Day, which takes place on June 7. On this day, we focus on 
the difficult reality that exists for millions of Americans. Hunger is 
a form of poverty, and the persistence of hunger in the wealthiest 
nation in the world is both alarming and unacceptable. It is long past 
due that we recognize the devastating impact of hunger and commit to 
protect the anti-hunger programs that help children and families in 
their time of need.
  Today, June 6, marks a sad day in America, the forty-fourth 
anniversary of Senator Robert Kennedy's death. In April 1967, Senator 
Kennedy visited homes in the Mississippi Delta where he was stunned to 
see babies with distended bellies and ice boxes and cupboards bare of 
food. Senator Kennedy was visibly moved by those he met with on his 
trip and went back to Washington to make hunger a national issue and to 
raise federal support for hungry children and families.
  Today the fight continues. Hunger remains a reality in all of our 
communities. We see it in the long lines at our food pantries. We hear 
it from seniors forced to choose between groceries and medication. And 
we see it in the faces of children at school who have not had a decent 
meal since yesterday's school lunch.
  During a visit to a food bank in Champaign, IL, I noticed a young 
woman who I thought worked there or served on the board, but when she 
spoke with me I learned that she is a teacher's aide in a local school 
and a single mom with two kids. While she is happy to have her teaching 
job, she doesn't earn enough to keep food on the table and must rely on 
the food bank and food stamps.
  Her story is not unique. Millions of families live each day not 
knowing if or how they will put food on the table. Rather than thinking 
about what the next meal will be, parents worry if there will be a next 
meal. Today, 50 million people have trouble putting food on the table, 
and 740,000 children live in a food insecure household. Where there is 
poverty, we see a greater demand for emergency food programs and 
support. Fortunately, programs like the Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program--SNAP--Women, Infant, Children--WIC--Program, and 
school meal programs provide food for hungry children and families. 
These programs have responded to the growing need by helping low and 
middle-class families, children, and seniors maintain a healthy diet.
  The benefits of SNAP reach far beyond helping households maintain a 
healthy diet. SNAP is one of the Nation's most important anti-hunger 
programs and has provided over 46 million Americans with essential food 
assistance. In Illinois, more than 1.8 million people rely on SNAP 
benefits. SNAP has lifted nearly 2.5 million children out of poverty, 
more than any other government program.
  According to the United States Department of Agriculture's--USDA--
Economic Research Service, $5 of SNAP benefits can generate $9 in 
economic activity through retail demand, farm production, and jobs. 
When millions of Americans are struggling, food stamps meet a basic 
human need.
  This week the Senate will take up the Farm bill, which provides 
critical funding for food assistance programs, including SNAP. I am 
concerned about possible amendments to significantly cut the program 
and fundamentally alter how the program operates. SNAP provides an 
important safety net for households that have fallen on hard times.
  Throughout the country, food banks and pantries that rely on Federal 
assistance are the front line of the fight against hunger, providing 
emergency food assistance to hungry families. At a time when millions 
of middle class Americans are struggling to keep up with higher gas 
prices, grocery bills, and health care costs, more families are looking 
to federal programs for assistance. Throughout the country, federal 
hunger assistance programs have responded to this growing need by 
providing essential support to hungry families. Over the past 2 years, 
Illinois food banks have seen a 50 percent increase in requests for 
food assistance.
  As Americans struggle to make ends meet, they rely on food pantries 
to fill gaps in their grocery needs. The Central Illinois Food Bank is 
one of many in my State that help to meet that need. Central Illinois 
Food Bank celebrates its 30th anniversary today. In its

[[Page S3799]]

first year, the food bank had one truck and a staff of three and 
distributed 700,000 pounds of food to 85 agencies. The food bank now 
serves 150 agencies and distributes 800,000 pounds of food a month. 
Last year, the food bank helped over 100,000 families and provided well 
over 1 million pounds of fresh produce. I am grateful to the Central 
Illinois Food Bank for its work on the front lines of the fight to end 
hunger and for the safety net it provides for families having trouble 
putting food on the table.
  The millions of Americans who rely on safety net anti-hunger programs 
may not have the loudest voice in the debate or big public relations 
firms, but we must protect these programs and work to improve the lives 
of vulnerable families, children, and seniors at their time of need. 
Hunger in America is not something we can ignore. At a time when 
families are working to make ends meet, this isn't the place we should 
be looking to for cuts. We cannot return to the scenes that Senator 
Robert Kennedy witnessed decades ago. We should honor his legacy by 
protecting these programs that help families out food on the table. No 
family should have to wonder where their next meal will come from.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid 
upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 484) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 484

       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 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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