[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4638-4639]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               IN HONOR OF COMMUNITY FOOD RESOURCE CENTER

 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, it is my honor and pleasure to 
inform my fellow Senators that this year marks the 21st anniversary of 
Community Food Resource Center, a New York City organization that has 
been a leader in the fight for improved nutrition and economic well-
being for all Americans.
  CFRC's first project in 1980 was a school breakfast campaign. Since 
then, CFRC has been instrumental in shaping and promoting child 
nutrition programs. Because of CFRC's efforts, for example, New York 
City became the first major city to implement universal school meals on 
a large scale.
  I became familiar with CFRC because of my work on the Senate 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. I have come to admire 
and respect the organization and its dedicated staff, and I feel 
honored to have had the chance to work with them. Whatever the issue, I 
can always count on CFRC to focus on the needs of those whose voices 
are rarely heard in the Capitol.
  I would like to highlight just a few of CFRC's many innovative 
programs. Its Community Kitchen of West Harlem provides meals to more 
than 600 people nightly. Its CookShop program encourages schoolchildren 
to eat more fruits and vegetables. Its senior dinner programs use 
school cafeterias after hours to provide nutritious meals, social 
activities and an intergenerational program.

[[Page 4639]]

  CFRC is also a leading advocate for government policies assisting 
low-income individuals and families. At a time when Food Stamp 
participation is declining nationwide, CFRC's Food Force project sends 
outreach workers with laptop computers to community-based sites to pre-
screen thousands of needy New Yorkers. With TANF reauthorization 
approaching, CFRC's Welfare Made A Difference National Campaign is 
challenging the stereotypes that led to passage of the 1996 welfare 
law.
  CFRC is not only committed to making a difference, it is also 
effective. Each year, tens of thousands of New Yorkers benefit from 
CFRC's programs, and its advocacy has made a difference to millions of 
Americans. I hope that 21 years from now, this country no longer needs 
groups like CFRC. But if there are still those among us who are poor or 
hungry, I hope that CFRC is still here keeping their needs in the 
national conscience.

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