[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 154 (Wednesday, October 21, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H7033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           COMMUNITY VOICES: WHY NUTRITION ASSISTANCE MATTERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I recently had the pleasure of speaking 
with a group of people involved with Community Voices: Why Nutrition 
Assistance Matters. It was inspiring to hear about the real and 
positive impacts our Federal nutrition programs have in the daily lives 
of Americans all across this country.
  Community Voices is a summer-long national campaign launched by the 
Center for American Progress, the Coalition on Human Needs, Witnesses 
to Hunger, the Food Research and Action Center, Feeding America, and 
the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
  It was started to share the personal stories of individuals and 
service providers who experienced firsthand programs like SNAP or WIC 
or school meals. These contributors are the real experts when it comes 
to the importance and effect of our vital nutrition assistance 
programs.
  The Community Voices campaign culminated in this booklet, a 
compilation of many of these personal stories. I would like to take a 
moment and share a few of these stories.
  Jonetta, from Sacramento, California, says:
  ``Several years ago, I left an abusive relationship, and now I am 
raising my daughter by myself. My daughter participates in the school 
meal program and the after-school snack program. The snack program 
really helps so that my daughter isn't as hungry when she gets home 
from school.
  ``We also receive $356 a month in SNAP. This money is supposed to 
supplement my food budget, but it is really all of my food budget 
because my income barely covers my rent. Right now, I'm homeless, and 
it is hard to find a place to live for less than $500 a month.
  ``Because of SNAP, we are not starving. As a mom, I try to cut out a 
lot of bad food from my family's diet, but it is a difficult task to 
buy the healthier food because it is expensive. It's also very 
difficult because we have been homeless for a couple of months, so I 
have to use other people's refrigerators.
  ``I am very thankful for these programs and to all the people who are 
trying to make all these programs better. They really helped me and my 
daughter.''
  Let me share another story from Linda from the Massachusetts 
Coalition of the Homeless:
  ``Several years ago, I volunteered at a summer program at a park in 
Morgantown, Kentucky, assisting with skill-building activities. Without 
this nutrition program, the kids who came would not have had lunch, 
since school was not in session. If the kids didn't come to that park 
for nutritional food, I'm not sure they would have gotten it anywhere 
else. None of the food was wasted; and if there was any food left over, 
the kids would take it back to their families.
  ``Food is a basic human right, and our government sometimes forgets 
that and needs to be reminded. This is a moral imperative for our 
country to make sure that all people, especially children, have the 
resources needed to develop--even more so for families and children in 
poverty.''
  I want to thank Jonetta, Linda, and all of those who took the time to 
share their stories. They remind us that these programs are helping 
real families who are trying to do their best in very difficult times.
  Mr. Speaker, all too often the discussion around SNAP and our other 
antihunger programs is punctuated by misinformation, false stereotypes, 
or downright nasty rhetoric. It is frustrating, and it is wrong.
  Community Voices reminds us what a positive difference these programs 
make for families who are really struggling.
  The data backs up just how important these programs are. In 2014 
alone, for example, SNAP lifted 4.7 million people out of poverty, 
including 2.1 million children. Ninety-two percent of benefits go to 
households with incomes below the poverty line, which includes millions 
of struggling families working hard every day to put food on the table.
  Federal investment in our nutrition programs is one of the smartest 
investments we can make. For example, for every $1 spent on preventive 
services for a pregnant woman in WIC, the program saves $4.21 in 
Medicaid costs by reducing the risk of preterm birth and associated 
costs.
  Mr. Speaker, I have long believed that we need to hear firsthand from 
the people who are directly touched by SNAP, WIC, or school meals. They 
are the real experts, and they can guide us, as Members of Congress, as 
we work to strengthen and improve these programs.
  Every Member of Congress should have received a Community Voices 
booklet. It is a call to action to protect our vital nutrition 
assistance programs. I encourage you to read the stories about how 
these programs are helping families who need them most. Without them, 
hunger would be much, much worse in this country.
  I urge you to keep their stories in mind the next time proposals come 
before Congress to cut funding for WIC or restrict access to SNAP or 
make it more difficult for kids to get healthy meals in school. Harmful 
changes like these would hurt real families who are already struggling. 
We should not make their lives more difficult. We should not be making 
hunger worse in this country. Mr. Speaker, we can and we should do more 
to end hunger now.

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