[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18321-18323]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING ESTABLISHMENT OF HUNTERS FOR THE HUNGRY

  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 270) recognizing the establishment of 
Hunters for the Hungry programs across the United States and the 
contributions of those programs efforts to decrease hunger and help 
feed those in need.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

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                              H. Res. 270

       Whereas Hunters for the Hungry programs are cooperative 
     efforts among hunters, sportsmen's associations, meat 
     processors, State meat inspectors, and hunger relief 
     organizations to help feed those in need;
       Whereas during the past three years Hunters for the Hungry 
     programs have brought hundreds of thousands of pounds of 
     venison to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food banks;
       Whereas each year donations have multiplied as Hunters for 
     the Hungry programs continue to feed those in need; and
       Whereas 45 States have a Hunters for the Hungry program: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the cooperative efforts of hunters, 
     sportsmen's associations, meat processors, State meat 
     inspectors, and hunger relief organizations to establish 
     Hunters for the Hungry programs across the United States; and
       (2) recognizes the contributions of Hunters for the Hungry 
     programs to efforts to decrease hunger and help feed those in 
     need.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Scott) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I come before the House today to encourage the passage 
of House Resolution 270, which recognizes the establishment of Hunters 
for the Hungry programs across the United States and recognizing the 
contributions these programs make to decrease hunger and help feed 
those in need.
  Hunters for the Hungry is a unique and innovative program that 
addresses hunger in communities nationwide. All across this country, 
hunters can donate their game and their fowl to Hunters for the Hungry, 
which processes the meat and provides it to food banks and other 
feeding programs. This cooperative effort between hunters, processors, 
and the hunger community is an innovative example of how groups can 
work together toward a single, worthy goal: working to make sure that 
no American goes hungry.
  When the House Agriculture Committee considered this resolution in 
the 110th Congress, it received unanimous support; and I strongly 
encourage the passage of this resolution.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 270, which 
recognizes the collaborative efforts of hunters, sportsmen's 
associations, meat processors, State meat inspectors, and hunger relief 
organizations to establish Hunters for the Hungry programs across the 
United States. Such programs have brought hundreds of thousands of 
pounds for venison to homeless shelters, soup kitchens and food banks.
  Since 1991, Pennsylvania's Hunters Sharing the Harvest program has 
provided hundreds of thousands of meals to needy Pennsylvanians. Last 
year, the program coordinated the delivery of nearly 200,000 meals that 
included venison.
  Americans are generous people, and many individuals work through 
private organizations to donate food to help needy families. Given our 
economic climate, more and more people are turning to soup kitchens and 
food banks for food assistance, and that is where programs like Hunters 
for the Hungry make a valuable contribution and difference.
  Great strides are being made to provide nutritious, high-quality 
venison to those experiencing hunger in our communities. I commend the 
generosity of America's hunters and all who participate in the Hunters 
for the Hungry program. The contributions of these individuals are a 
step in the right direction in the fight against hunger, and I urge my 
colleagues to support House Resolution 270.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).
  Mr. COURTNEY. I again thank the chairman for bringing this resolution 
out.
  There is probably not a more difficult and challenging enterprise to 
operate today than running a food bank. We're obviously in a time where 
our economy is extremely weak. The demand for food bank help is up and 
the ability of people to provide donations for food bank services are 
down.
  In Connecticut, over 350,000 people were served in the last year by 
our food banks--a number that is way higher than the prior year. And as 
was recently reported in the New London Day, the largest paper in 
southeastern Connecticut, while there was a growing need for food 
assistance in 2008 and 2009, traditional donations are way down. There 
is only one area where we have seen an increase, and that is in the 
area of wild game that was donated by hunters who are part of this 
program which is being given accolades with this resolution.
  In my district, hunters and constituents like Warren Speh and Bob 
Jean have donated more than 10,000 pounds of deer meat that was hunted 
at Bluff Point State Park in Groton alone as part of an effort to 
manage the deer population and also donated that food to the local food 
bank in the New London area. So they are a perfect example of what this 
program is about.
  Again, I strongly support this resolution's effort to put the 
spotlight on the great work that these people are doing and urge 
adoption by the full membership.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I recognize my good friend 
from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) for such time as he may consume.
  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank one of our 
newest and hardworking members of the Republican Conference, Mr. 
Thompson of Pennsylvania, for generously yielding me time on this 
resolution today.
  As a member of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus and author of 
this resolution, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 270, a 
resolution recognizing the contribution made by Hunters for the Hungry 
programs across this country.
  I would like to thank Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Lucas, my 
colleague from Georgia (Mr. Scott) and all of my colleagues on the 
Agriculture Committee for bringing this resolution to the floor today 
in a bipartisan manner.
  I also want to thank the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, especially 
co-chairs Dan Boren and Paul Ryan, for their support. This bipartisan 
organization, comprised of close to 300 Members of the House and the 
Senate, focuses on protecting the interests of our Nation's sportsmen. 
Mr. Speaker, as a proud Member of this caucus, I know that it works 
diligently for our sportsmen who have historically shaped the character 
and the quality of America's cultural heritage, natural resources, and 
our economic vitality.
  I first introduced the Hunters for the Hungry resolution in the 108th 
Congress back in 2003, as well as in each subsequent Congress, to bring 
attention to an often overlooked group--our Nation's hunters--who feed 
thousands of homeless and hungry people each year. The purpose of this 
resolution is to praise the work of Hunters for the Hungry programs 
across our country. These programs provide a unique way in which to 
address our Nation's hunger problem.
  Although these organizations are called by different names in the 45 
States where they are located, Hunters for the Hungry organizations 
show the humanitarian and the kind-hearted spirit of our Nation's 
hunting community. These programs are volunteer and cooperative efforts 
among hunters, sportsmen's associations, meat processors, State meat 
inspectors and hunger relief organizations. Over the past 3 years, 
these programs have brought hundreds of thousands of pounds of excess 
venison to homeless shelters, to soup kitchens, and food banks. Each 
year, donations have multiplied, and many programs now cannot even 
cover the costs of processing, of packaging and storing, and 
distributing the abundant supply of donated venison.
  Hunters for the Hungry organizations serve as a great example of how 
our

[[Page 18323]]

Nation can address issues like hunger without government intervention. 
These organizations receive no Federal funding. They operate from 
donations and volunteer services. We must raise the awareness of these 
organizations so that they can have the resources and the volunteers to 
serve America's underprivileged.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that in my home State of Georgia, over 
28,000 pounds of venison was donated as a result of this program just 
last year, raising the overall total in the State to over 200,000 
pounds since this program was initiated back in 1993. I commend the 
kind-hearted hunters of my State, along with those across the country, 
who donate their time and their money for those people in need.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution so the 
House can show its gratitude to these selfless hunters across the 
country to honor their great community service.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to take a moment 
to extend my commendations to my distinguished friend from Georgia (Mr. 
Gingrey) for this very worthy, worthy resolution. Thank you.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize for 2 minutes my distinguished 
friend and colleague from the great State of Massachusetts (Mr. 
McGovern) who has a sterling reputation for working to make sure that 
no American goes to bed hungry in our country.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. McGOVERN. I want to thank my friend for yielding and for his 
leadership on these and so many other important issues.
  I wanted to rise as well in support of the resolution by my colleague 
from Georgia, Mr. Gingrey. I think it's an important resolution, and I 
think the Hunters for the Hungry organization deserve praise for their 
work trying to respond to a real need in this country, and that is the 
issue of people who are food insecure or are hungry.
  This is a problem that is getting worse in the United States of 
America, I am sad to say, and this is an issue that we need to talk 
more about on this House floor. And I appreciate and I support the 
efforts of hunters and a whole bunch of other volunteer organizations 
across the country in their efforts to respond to this crisis, and we 
need to do everything we can to congratulate them, express our 
appreciation and urge them to do more.
  I would also add that I think we have a moral imperative to do more 
as a country and as a government to respond to this need. There are 
more than 36 million Americans who are food insecure or hungry. Every 
one of us should be ashamed of that fact, and we need to respond to 
this crisis, and we need to do more than we are doing now.
  I'm the co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, and we are urging all 
Members of Congress to take only 1 hour, at least 1 hour, out of their 
busy schedules during the August recess and visit a hunger relief 
organization, visit a food pantry, visit a food bank, and see firsthand 
what is happening. And what people are going to see, what my colleagues 
will see is not only the incredible work that is going on to help 
respond to this crisis, but the fact is that these food banks and these 
food pantries are chock full. They're at capacity. They cannot respond 
to the need that they are faced with.
  And so as we debate other legislation down the road, I hope we will 
keep these people in mind, but I did want to rise to congratulate and 
to thank my friend Mr. Gingrey for his leadership on this issue. I 
think it is important that we do what we can to acknowledge the good 
work of people who are in the forefront of fighting on behalf of people 
who are food insecure and hungry, and I want to thank him.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my 
time to Dr. Broun.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I started my political activism by being the government 
affairs vice president for Safari Club International, and the Safari 
Club has been very much engaged in trying to feed the hungry through a 
program called Hunters for the Hungry, and it's something that's 
absolutely critical for us to promote this type of idea. I congratulate 
my colleague, dear friend from Georgia, Dr. Gingrey, for bringing this 
legislation to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, hunters all over this country are willing to provide 
some of their deer and elk meat to feed the hungry, and I think it's a 
proper role for us as Members of Congress to promote this type of 
philosophy, of letting the private sector take care of the poor, the 
widows and fatherless as biblically we're charged to do. In fact, I 
believe very firmly that the private sector can provide for the needs 
of those disadvantaged in this country a whole lot better than 
government can.
  Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to rise and speak for a minute in behalf 
of this bill. I fully support it. I congratulate Dr. Gingrey for 
bringing this important legislation, and I congratulate my other 
colleague from Georgia for speaking in favor of the bill and look 
forward to its passage and look forward to promoting other kinds of 
ideas, Mr. Speaker, where we can stimulate the private sector, provide 
for those things that are desperately needed by those that are 
disadvantaged around this country. They really need some help. They 
need some help in feeding themselves. They need some help in providing 
jobs, and the private sector's the best way to do that. We over and 
over on our side introduce legislation that would stimulate the 
economy, would create jobs, instead of robbing our grandchildren of 
their future as we see going on here in this Congress.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I do rise in support of this bill, and I hope that 
we will pass it unanimously once it comes for a vote.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, as has been mentioned by each of 
our speakers, we certainly applaud the Hunters for the Hungry program 
for the great job that they're doing, but this should serve as also a 
wake-up call and a challenge to more Americans, more organizations 
where, as the gentleman from Massachusetts pointed out with his 
statistics, there's so much more that we must do to reach that goal, 
that we have no American, no American child, no one in this country 
going to bed hungry at night for we are the wealthiest country in the 
world.
  And so the Hunters for the Hungry program and H. Res. 270 presents 
not only an opportunity to celebrate the Hunters for the Hungry program 
but to accept the challenge for us to do more to make sure no American 
goes to bed hungry.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank my 
colleagues for certainly supporting this legislation. It truly fulfills 
the spirit that builds and makes America great, where neighbors assist 
neighbors.
  I don't believe I have any additional speakers, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 270.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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