[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4481]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING MERCER MIDDLE SCHOOL'S WINTER FOOD DRIVE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 28, 2012

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mercer Middle School 
in Aldie, Virginia, which recently finished a winter food drive.
  As a result of this, Mercer students were able to donate 600 pounds 
of food to Loudoun Interfaith Relief, the largest food pantry in 
Loudoun County. I sincerely appreciate their efforts to address the 
serious challenge of hunger in our community.
  As hard as it may be for some to believe, families are going hungry 
in Fairfax and Loudoun counties in northern Virginia. I have been 
meeting with the local food banks and pantries on a regular basis for 
the past several years and they all tell me demand is at an all-time 
high. In fact, families who used to regularly donate to some food 
pantries are now coming to receive food. One local pantry actually 
closed for several days last fall because its shelves were bare.
  On March 23, I attended a wonderful event at Mercer where the 
students presented the food donations to Loudoun Interfaith Relief. I 
was impressed by their hard work and their service to their community. 
This service project could not have been possible without the support 
of Principal John Duellman and PTA President Karen Goodwin.
  I congratulate all the students, teachers and parents who 
participated in Mercer Middle School's winter food drive.

                          ____________________