[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 30, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2560-S2561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        COMBATING GLOBAL HUNGER

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I would like to discuss global 
hunger. From April 28 to May 2, people across the United States and 
across the globe are participating in the Live Below the Line campaign 
to raise awareness for global hunger and to show support for the 
critical programs that seek to alleviate hunger. Participants in the 
Live Below the Line campaign, including many of my constituents in 
Maryland, are subsisting on $1.50 a day to demonstrate the challenges 
faced by millions of people each day. Right now, more than 1.2 billion 
people involuntarily live on less than $1.50 a day for food and drink.
  Children are particularly vulnerable to hunger and undernourishment. 
Studies show a child's entire life is shaped by whether or not she or 
he receives proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of her or his 
life. And tragically, 3.1 million children under the age of 5 die each 
year as a result of poor nutrition and hunger.
  When we think of global hunger, we often think of Sub-Saharan Africa 
where 223 million people, 24.8 percent of the population, face food 
insecurity. Or we think of Asia, where more than 500

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million people suffer from hunger. In Laos, for example, 50 percent of 
children under the age of 5 are chronically malnourished. And in Burma, 
it is estimated that about 35 percent of children are undernourished 
and stunted.
  But hunger is not just a problem for developing countries. Families 
across America and in my home State of Maryland are also struggling. 
According to the latest U.S. department of Agriculture report on 
Household Food Security in the United States, 12.5 percent of all 
households in Maryland were food insecure between 2009 and 2011, and 
more than 27 percent of children in Maryland are living in poverty.
  Proper nutrition is not just important to individual health, it is 
critical to the long-term health and success of nations. Poor nutrition 
and rampant hunger results in a less healthy and less productive 
workforce, hampers economic development and growth, and ultimately 
perpetuates the cycle of hunger and poverty for successive generations. 
It should not be that way; every child should have the opportunity to 
grow up healthy and strong.
  Thanks to organizations like the World Food Program USA and the 
United Nations World Food Program, who together work to solve global 
hunger, the number of hungry people in the world has fallen by 17 
percent since 1990. And in 2013, the World Food Program provided 24 
million school children in 60 different countries with meals at school. 
This not only reduces undernourishment and hunger, but also 
incentivizes school attendance. We need more programs like this, and we 
need more people to be aware of this issue, both here in the United 
States and abroad.
  With the world population expected to increase to 9 billion by 2050, 
transforming how people farm and what people eat is the only way, I 
believe, to ensure food security for future generations.
  We are making great strides in global food security, particularly 
through the U.S. Feed The Future Initiative, which focuses on building 
sustainability and resilience into communities by transforming how 
people farm and what people eat.
  In 2009, then-Secretary of State Clinton said,

       We have the resources to give every person in the world the 
     tools they need to feed themselves and their children. So the 
     question is not whether we can end hunger. It's whether we 
     will.

  Ending global hunger and poverty will not happen tomorrow, but if we 
continue to coordinate with our global partners, harness the power of 
the private sector and the NGO community, and use our development aid 
in the most effective and transparent way possible, we will have much 
better outcomes. The United States must be relentless in striving to 
assure that no one goes hungry.

                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         TRIBUTE TO TONY ZEISS

 Mrs. HAGAN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a friend 
of education, a passionate champion for job creation and innovation, 
and a truly outstanding leader from North Carolina.
  Dr. Tony Zeiss has served as the president of Central Piedmont 
Community College in Charlotte, NC, since 1992. CPCC is an institution 
familiar to many of my colleagues in this body. In January 2012, during 
his State of the Union Address, the President held up the partnership 
between CPCC and Siemens Energy as a model of customized training for 
workforce development. Central Piedmont Community College was also 
selected as the 2002 Community College of the Year by the National 
Alliance of Business.
  The community college's success is due, in large part, to Dr. Zeiss's 
leadership and commitment to fostering innovation in workforce and 
career development.
  Dr. Zeiss is a native of Indiana and a proud alumnus of Indiana State 
University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees. He 
received his doctorate degree in community college administration from 
Nova Southeastern University.
  Dr. Zeiss is passionate about his adopted home State of North 
Carolina and the importance of making a difference in his community. He 
has served on several local, regional, and national boards. He is the 
past chair of the board of the American Association of Community 
Colleges, past board chair for the League for Innovation, and was the 
Association of Community College Trustees' National Chief Executive 
Officer of the year for 2004-2005.
  While it is evident he is deeply engaged in his community, the true 
sources of strength for Dr. Zeiss are his wife Beth, his two sons, his 
daughter-in-law, and his two grandchildren.
  One of the first opportunities Dr. Zeiss sought out when he arrived 
in North Carolina was participation in Leadership North Carolina, a 
nonprofit organization that engages current and emerging leaders from 
across the State through ongoing networking and service opportunities. 
In 1995, Dr. Zeiss graduated from Leadership North Carolina as an 
alumnus of Class I. In 2005, the LNC board of directors recognized his 
contributions to the State by presenting him with the L. Richardson 
Preyer Alumni Award, presented annually to an LNC alumnus whose 
demonstrated leadership has made a significant improvement in the 
quality of life, economic well-being, and/or sense of community in our 
State.
  Elected as chair of Leadership North Carolina in 2012, Dr. Zeiss has 
brought his considerable leadership experience and passion as an 
alumnus to strengthen the organization during his 2-year tenure. His 
work has positioned the program for sustainability for years to come 
and strengthened its reputation among leaders in business, government, 
education, and the nonprofit sector. The measure of a good leader is 
the legacy he or she leaves behind. Dr. Tony Zeiss leaves North 
Carolina with 950 informed and engaged leaders and has challenged them 
to leverage their influence for the benefit of our State and Nation.
  On June 30 of this year, Dr. Tony Zeiss will complete his tenure as 
chair of the Leadership North Carolina board of directors. We need 
strong, effective, visionary leaders now more than ever. Dr. Zeiss's 
service to Leadership North Carolina has been focused on promoting the 
LNC program and soliciting financial support for its sustainability and 
growth, all while engaging, challenging, and informing future leaders. 
I join the board of directors of Leadership North Carolina in 
recognizing Dr. Zeiss for his leadership, vision, and determination.
  As a fellow parent and grandparent, I am grateful for the example Dr. 
Zeiss has set for young people and the opportunities he has provided 
through the gifts of education and leadership. He is the embodiment of 
our State's motto, Esse Quam Videri, to be rather than to seem, and I 
ask all my colleagues to join me in thanking Dr. Tony Zeiss for his 
service to North Carolina.

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