[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BARRY DEL BUONO

  (Mr. LICCARDO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LICCARDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and 
contributions of Barry Del Buono, a longtime community leader in San 
Jose, California, who we lost this last December. With his passing, I 
lost a childhood hero, and our community lost a champion.
  Barry's quiet strength and deep faith propelled a life of 
extraordinary service for our most vulnerable neighbors. He began his 
life of public service as a Catholic priest in San Jose, where he 
cofounded Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen, a nonprofit that last year 
provided nearly 2 million meals to families in need.
  Barry would eventually leave the priesthood to marry, but his 
commitment only deepened. In 1980, he founded the Emergency Housing 
Consortium, now known as HomeFirst, where he pioneered a groundbreaking 
continuum of care model that extended beyond emergency shelter to 
include transitional and permanent supportive housing.
  Decades later, Barry launched his third act in life in education. He 
and his dedicated wife, Maile, inspired a new generation of adults with 
a passion for service through their teaching at San Jose City College 
and Evergreen Valley College.
  Barry was most at home with his family, with Maile, their five 
children, and seven grandchildren. With grateful hearts, we remember 
Barry not only for what he built but also for what he believed and what 
he inspired all of us to believe in and build with him.

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