[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 13328-13329]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              SUMMER MEALS

  (Ms. DUCKWORTH asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, more than 21 million children nationwide 
and 825,000 in Illinois rely on free or reduced-price meals during the 
school year. Unfortunately, we often forget that these children can go 
hungry in the summer months, when they are not in school.
  Recently, I visited the Share Our Strength Summer Meal Site in 
Palatine, Illinois. They provide summer meals to students who normally 
receive reduced-price breakfasts and lunches during the school year. As 
someone who was on the school breakfast and school lunch program 
myself, I know that it is imperative we work to reduce poverty in 
Illinois and that no child should have to miss their meal.
  But our local communities cannot fight hunger on their own. That is 
why I will be cosponsoring the bipartisan Summer Meals Act, which will 
expand the USDA Summer Nutrition Program to help more children access 
quality meals during the summer months.
  I believe that in the wealthiest nation in the world, no American 
child should go hungry, and no parent should have to make the difficult 
decision between paying rent or paying for groceries. Let's work 
together to stand up for our children by supporting summer food 
nutrition programs.

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