[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 41 (Thursday, March 9, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H1952-H1953]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             END HUNGER NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, this week, the Food Research & Action 
Center, known as FRAC, and Feeding

[[Page H1953]]

America, in conjunction with the National Child and Adult Care Food 
Program Forum, hosted their annual fly-in. Over 1,200 hunger advocates 
from every State came to Washington, D.C., to meet with their local 
Members of Congress and to emphasize the importance of the Federal 
antihunger programs in alleviating food insecurity and poverty amongst 
our most vulnerable constituents.
  These advocates delivered powerful messages to Members of Congress: 
as we consider the FY 2018 budget and appropriations legislation, and 
as we work to craft a 2018 farm bill, our antihunger safety net must 
stay intact. That means no block grants or structural changes to SNAP; 
no funding cuts to SNAP or any other antihunger programs.
  These advocates, Mr. Speaker, also delivered paper plates to their 
Members of Congress containing powerful messages from constituents who 
rely on antihunger safety net programs.
  I would urge all my colleagues to make sure they read these paper 
plates. These aren't statistics. These are real human beings. These are 
our constituents, our brothers and sisters.
  I would like to read a few of the messages that were sent to me from 
people in my district.
  This is from a client at the Northbridge Food Pantry in 
Massachusetts: ``Without food assistance, I wouldn't have any other 
source of nourishment. I have many medical issues, and a proper diet is 
necessary.''
  This is from, again, another client from the Northbridge Food Pantry: 
``Food stamps are important to me and my family because I have lung 
cancer, and it is next to impossible to find a job, to buy food. My 
husband barely makes enough to pay the bills, that is not counting 
food.''
  Also, another client from the Northbridge Food Pantry: ``Food stamps 
is important to me 'cause I don't make any money to support myself, let 
alone I'm disabled and I only make $16 for SNAP. I need food to survive 
and to stay healthy.''
  This is from a client at Centro Las Americas in Worcester: ``For me, 
they are very important, so that my children have good balance and 
nutrition.''
  Also, from Centro Las Americas in Worcester: ``Well, for me, they 
fill a gap because I am a single father who has a child.''
  This is from a client at the Marie Anne Center in Worcester, 
Massachusetts: ``I think SNAP is important because it helps, because it 
helps families.''
  This is from a client at the Amherst Survival Center: ``It means 
there is food every night.''
  Also, from the Amherst Survival Center: ``I thank God for the food 
pantry because most of my income goes toward bills. The food pantry 
really relieves the anxiety of not having enough to go around. Thank 
you.''
  Also, from the Amherst Survival Center: ``I am in bad health. I can't 
work. The food pantry really helps my family. Thanks to the food 
pantry. Thanks Survival Center.''
  Also, from the Amherst Survival Center: ``It means there is food 
every night.''
  This is from Loaves and Fishes, a food pantry in Worcester, 
Massachusetts: ``A person has to live.''
  Also, from Loaves and Fishes: ``It is very important that I get the 
food stamps. Please don't take them away. They help me out a lot.''
  This is also from Loaves and Fishes: ``SNAP helps supplement my 
disability from cancers, but my benefit level has been cut.''
  From the Marie Anne Center, a client writes: ``It is important to 
keep food stamps because other poor families don't have money. And the 
food stamps help them. Also, I think you should keep SNAP because if 
you take it away, that's basically you saying that other people won't 
eat.''
  This is also from the Northbridge Food Pantry: ``In my given 
situation, without the local food banks and SNAP, I would not be able 
to eat three meals per day.''
  From a client at Loaves and Fishes: ``A person has to live.''
  Finally, this is from the Amherst Survival Center. A client writes: 
``Thank you, Amherst Survival Center. You are a saving grace.''
  Mr. Speaker, again, I urge my colleagues to understand that, in the 
United States of America, the richest country in the history of the 
world, we have close to 42 million Americans who are food insecure or 
hungry. They are our neighbors. They are counting on us in this 
Congress to do something, not to give them a cold shoulder.
  I will, in all frankness, say to my colleagues that we are not doing 
nearly enough. Hunger is a political condition. We have the resources, 
we know what to do, but we don't have the political will.
  So, rather than cutting these nutrition safety net programs, rather 
than threatening to block grant SNAP, cut SNAP, or cut other antihunger 
and nutrition programs, we ought to come together and support them. We 
ought to dedicate ourselves to ending hunger now. We have a moral 
obligation to do that.
  I urge my colleagues to read the plates that were delivered to their 
offices and join with me in ending hunger now.

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