[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 41 (Thursday, March 7, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1215
HONORING JOAN ESPENSHADE
(Mr. SMUCKER asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, March is Women's History Month, and I am
proud to honor some remarkable women in my district.
Today, I would like to recognize Ms. Joan Espenshade, a woman from
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who gave back to our community by creating an
extraordinary program to feed those in need.
In 2005, Joan learned that some local children were food insecure on
weekends when the school's free lunch program was not available to
them, so she decided to step in and help parents make better use of
their limited food dollars.
She founded the Power Packs Project to provide food and nutritional
information to low-income families. Not only did she help those
families, but Power Packs now extends to 45 schools in 13 districts
with 350 volunteers.
Joan stepped down as president of Power Packs after 9 years in 2014,
but her vision and impact can still be seen as the program continues
today.
We are thankful for people like Joan who remind us of the importance
of caring for those in need. It is an honor to recognize her today.
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