[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 23]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 31838]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       FEDERAL FOOD DONATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JO ANN EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 15, 2007

  Mrs. EMERSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Federal 
Food Donation Act of 2007. As we prepare to return home to spend time 
with our families and give thanks for the blessings we have received, I 
would ask that we pause a moment and think of those less fortunate 
among us. Yesterday we learned from USDA's annual hunger survey that 
more than 35 million people in the United States are food insecure; 
they either suffer from hunger or must sacrifice other essential items 
for food. Tragically, of these 35 million individuals, 12 million are 
children. Unfortunately, the number of the hungry among us is 
increasing. While we, as a government, are taking steps in the right 
direction, we have a long way to go.
  One step we can take is to pass the Federal Food Donation Act, which 
I introduced today. This legislation would require executive agencies 
who serve food on their premises to encourage the donation of excess 
food to non-profit organizations. Such ``food rescue'' efforts can be 
particularly useful to the more than 43,000 soup kitchens and food 
pantries on the front lines battling hunger. As we have celebrated 
Veterans Day this week, it is important to remember that one out every 
four homeless individuals is a veteran. Often, the beneficiaries of 
food rescue efforts serve the homeless community and these veterans.
  I would like to particularly thank the dedicated individuals at Rock 
and Wrap It Up! for their efforts in conceiving and promoting this 
legislation. This non-profit organization has specialized in food 
recovery and has been ``thinking outside the box'' in the battle 
against hunger for years. I appreciate their efforts and look forward 
to working with them for passage of this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, the bottom line we must be aware of is this: the cost 
of food is increasing. As we prepare our Thanksgiving dinners we will 
likely hear a lot about the impact of inflation, rising transportation 
costs, and increasing commodity prices on our family budgets. The 
effects of rising prices have already been felt by our partners who 
serve the hungry. More resources are clearly needed. The Federal Food 
Donation Act may be a small step in the overall battle against hunger, 
but it is one worth taking.

                          ____________________