[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 121 (Thursday, July 23, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H5188]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING DEBBIE ESPINOSA

  (Mr. RUIZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Debbie Espinosa, 
president and CEO of FIND Food Bank, and her 8 years of extraordinary 
leadership.
  Debbie and I have stood together through disaster response, through 
the darkest days of the pandemic, and in the fight to protect the 
Federal nutrition programs that many children and farmworker families 
depend on.
  When I served as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I 
invited Debbie to Washington to brief my colleagues on the unique food 
security challenges facing farmworkers in our valley, because their 
story deserved to be heard on the national stage.
  She has also been a trusted partner to my office, helping provide 
food assistance to Federal employees and families during shutdowns and 
supporting community conversations on food insecurity.
  Debbie never just simply distributed food. She built bridges, 
connecting Federal resources to local solutions, and ensuring no family 
in our district went without in moments of emergency or everyday 
hardship.
  As she moves on to lead Harvesters, serving 27 counties across 
Missouri and Kansas, our valley's loss becomes the Nation's gain.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Debbie for her partnership, her compassion, and 
her unwavering commitment to the people in the Coachella Valley region 
and for her friendship. I am forever grateful.

                          ____________________