[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 21110-21111]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           FEEDING THE HUNGRY

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, as Arkansans and all Americans do last 
minute errands in preparation for Christmas, one stop on the list 
almost always includes the grocery store.
  Like many other families our Christmas traditions include baking 
cookies. On Christmas Eve we get together with extended family for 
lunch. Many holiday memories are centered around the time spent sitting 
at the table with family and friends.
  The unfortunate reality for more and more people, is that those 
memories are becoming more distant as more Americans than ever are 
having difficulty putting food on the table. In fact, recent studies 
show one in six Americans are food deprived.
  Despite Arkansas's reputation as a leader in agriculture production, 
Arkansans are struggling to provide nutritious, healthy meals for their 
families.
  What is most concerning is that nearly 25 percent of Arkansas kids go

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to bed hungry. That gives Arkansas the unfortunate distinction of 
having the worst rate of childhood hunger in the country.
  While I believe Congress should be working identifying a range of 
legislative improvements or reforms that can be made in Federal policy 
to help fight hunger, Washington can't help solve this problem alone.
  This requires community involvement. Fortunately, we are blessed to 
have help at the local level from a wide variety of organizations in 
Arkansas, and nationwide, that make it their mission to fight hunger.
  As a co-chair of the Senate Hunger Caucus, Senators Durbin, Lugar, 
Casey, Moran, Brown of Ohio, and myself put politics aside to raise 
awareness and recognize the great work underway in our states 
addressing food insecurity.
  We call this effort the Hour for Hunger. Our initiative encourages 
all Members of Congress to dedicate one hour during this holiday season 
to highlight the commitments of national, state and local organizations 
to fight hunger.
  Last Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the Samaritan Community 
Center in Rogers, Arkansas. For more than 20 years, this organization 
has lent a helping hand to the hungry through soup kitchens, food 
pantries, ``Snackpacks for Kids'' and a variety of other initiatives.
  This help is needed now more than ever. The economy is forcing more 
people to rely on the services of Samaritan Community Center. In just 
three years, there has been more than a 50 percent increase in clients.
  This is the story with similar organizations throughout Arkansas. In 
a segment that aired last month, CNN focused on the extent of the 
hunger problem in Arkansas's second largest city, Fort Smith. Ken 
Kupchick, marketing director for the River Valley Regional Food Bank in 
Fort Smith, told CNN some heart-wrenching stories encountered while 
helping those in need.
  Ken spoke of a mother who used to volunteer at a food pantry and is 
now in need of the organization's services due to mounting medical 
bills for her children. He recounted a story of an elderly lady who 
went from financial security to sorting through the dumpster garbage at 
the local grocery store after her husband passed away and her monthly 
income disappeared.
  Unfortunately, similar stories can be heard throughout our State. 
Community-based efforts like those in Fort Smith are making a 
difference to address hunger and malnourishment.
  We are seeing it across the state of Arkansas. Last week, the NBC 
affiliate KARK in Little Rock spent the week urging viewers to donate 
to the Arkansas Food Bank. The Greater Good Week of Giving donation 
drive will undoubtedly provide many blessings to many families this 
holiday season.
  It's painfully clear that our current economic environment is 
intensifying our hunger issues in Arkansas and across the country. The 
fact is, we don't have to look far to see how hunger hurts.
  I believe hunger is a solvable problem but it requires us all working 
together. Please consider what you can do to help neighbors in need, 
not just during this holiday season, but all year long.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Alabama.

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