[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6130]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            FOOD INSECURITY

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, every year we celebrate Easter and 
Passover, in part, with food. Yet for millions of Americans, putting 
food on their tables this holiday season is no different than any other 
day. It is a struggle at best, and a failure at worst. It is a failure 
of this institution and our government as a whole that we still 
tolerate incredibly low wages so that people are forced to choose 
between rent and food, clothes and food, utilities and food. We can do 
better.
  We need the White House to step up and own this issue. They can start 
with a White House conference on food and nutrition.
  Mr. Speaker, even though millions struggle with hunger, there are 
good souls out there who are trying to help. I want to highlight one 
Good Samaritan who paid for the groceries of a young woman named Andrea 
who was just trying to feed her kids. When Andrea exhausted her SNAP 
benefits at the grocery store, an unnamed woman in line gave her $17.38 
so that she didn't have to return any of the groceries.
  This House could learn from this example to help our neighbors rather 
than penalize them simply for being poor. I include for the Record 
Andrea's letter to this unnamed woman in line at the grocery store.

       Dear woman behind me in line at the grocery store: You 
     don't know me. You have no clue what my life has been like 
     since October 1, 2013. You have no clue that my family has 
     gone through the wringer. You have no clue that we have faced 
     unbelievable hardship. You have no clue we have been 
     humiliated, humbled, destitute.
       You have no clue I have cried more days than not; that I 
     fight against bitterness taking control of my heart. You have 
     no clue that my husband's pride was shattered. You have no 
     clue my kids have had the worries of an adult on their 
     shoulders. You have no clue their innocence was snatched from 
     them for no good reason. You know none of this.
       What you do know is I tried to buy my kids some food and 
     that the EBT machine was down so I couldn't buy that food. I 
     didn't have any cash or my debit card with me. I only had my 
     SNAP card. All you heard was me saying ``No, don't hold it 
     for me. My kids are hungry now and I have no other way of 
     paying for this.'' You didn't judge me. You didn't snarl 
     ``Maybe you should have less kids.'' You didn't say ``Well, 
     get a job and learn to support yourself.'' You didn't look 
     away in embarrassment or shame for me. You didn't make any 
     assumptions at all.
       What you did was you paid that $17.38 grocery bill for us. 
     You gave my kids bananas, yogurt, apple juice, cheese sticks, 
     and a peach ice tea for me; a rare treat and splurge. You let 
     me hug you and promise through my tears that I will pay this 
     forward. I will pay someone's grocery bill for them. That 
     $17.38 may not have been a lot for you, but it was priceless 
     to us. In the car my kids couldn't stop gushing about you; 
     our ``angel in disguise.'' They prayed for you. They prayed 
     you would be blessed. You restored some of our lost faith. 
     One simple and small action changed our lives. You probably 
     have forgotten about us by now, but we haven't forgotten 
     about you. You will forever be a part of us even though we 
     don't even know your name.
       You have no clue how grateful and embarrassed I am that we 
     pay for all our food with SNAP. We eat well thanks to the 
     government. I love that. I love that the government makes 
     sure my kids are cared for. It is one less worry for us. I 
     also struggle with pride and embarrassment. I defiantly tell 
     people we are on SNAP. Daring them to judge us.
       Only those closest to us know why we are on SNAP. They know 
     my husband is a hard worker who was laid off after 17 years 
     in a management position with his former company. They know 
     we were moved from our home to a new state only to be left 
     homeless since the house we had came with the job he lost. 
     Only those closest to us know my husband works part time 
     while looking tirelessly for more; that he has submitted more 
     applications than he has received interviews for. Too many 
     jobs are only offering part time work anymore. It is not easy 
     for a 40-something year old to find a job that will support 
     his family of five kids.
       You know none of this but you didn't let that stop you from 
     being compassionate and generous to someone you have never 
     met.
       To the woman behind me at the grocery store, you have no 
     idea how much we appreciate you. You have no idea the impact 
     you had on my kids. You have no idea how incredibly thankful 
     I am for you. Your action may have been small, but to us it 
     was monumental. Thank you.
       Thank you for not judging us. Thank you for giving my kids 
     a snack when they were quite hungry. Thank you. Just thank 
     you.
           Forever,
       Andrea, the woman in front of you at the grocery store with 
     the cart full of kids who are no longer hungry

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