[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19194]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     END HUNGER NOW--MONTE'S MARCH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, last week, I had the pleasure of taking 
part in Monte's March, an annual hunger walk in western Massachusetts. 
The march started in 2010 and is named after its founder, Monte 
Belmonte, a local activist and WRSI The River radio host in 
Northampton.
  Over the course of 2 days, we walked 43 miles across western 
Massachusetts, from Springfield to Northampton to Greenfield, to raise 
awareness about the very real problem of hunger in our communities and 
help families in need this holiday season.
  We had a great group walking with us this year, led by Monte, and 
including Andrew Morehouse, the executive director of the Food Bank of 
Western Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor 
Kumble Subbaswamy, Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, and a 
host of other local officials and community members.
  I want to say a special thanks to my colleagues Congressmen Richie 
Neal and Joe Kennedy for joining us along the way and helping to 
support those in need.
  Also joining us on that march were Sean Barry of Four Seasons Liquor 
in Hadley, Erika Cooper of Tea Guys in Whately, Ben Clark of Clarkdale 
Fruit Farm in Deerfield, Natalie Blais of UMass Amherst, Steve Fendel 
from Gill, Marty Dagoberto, Dan Finn from Pioneer Valley Local First, 
Chia Collins from Northampton, Kristen Elechko, Georgian and Rick 
Kristek, and many, many, many more.
  This year's walk was extra special for me because my son, Patrick, 
walked the entire route with us both days.
  Mr. Speaker, every day, 48 million Americans struggle with hunger, 
including 15.3 million children. We live in the richest country on 
Earth and have greater access to food than any previous generation, so 
the fact that hunger continues to be so widespread in America is 
absolutely stunning.
  Monte's March was started in 2010 to do something about it. This 
year's walk was the longest and biggest effort yet.
  Bright and early last Monday morning, our group of walkers began our 
march in the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield. The Mason Square 
neighborhood is one of those communities in western Massachusetts most 
in need, with so many families living in poverty and facing food 
hardship. In fact, childhood poverty rates have been as high as 59 
percent in this area alone.
  For these families, overcoming hunger is especially challenging 
because the neighborhood is a ``food desert,'' an area where affordable 
and healthy food, like fresh fruits and vegetables, are hard to come 
by. With no full-line supermarket within walking distance for residents 
to purchase food at affordable prices, we wanted to make sure that the 
Mason Square neighborhood was front and center in this year's march.
  It also gave us the opportunity to thank the Mason Square Health Task 
Force for their tireless efforts to address hunger and to show our deep 
appreciation to local feeding programs like St. John's Congregation 
Church.
  We then marched through Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke before 
finishing day one in Northampton. Seventeen miles were behind us, with 
day two still to go.
  We started on Tuesday morning walking through Northampton, then 
Hadley, and then Amherst, where we stopped at the Amherst Survival 
Center.
  The Amherst Survival Center is an amazing place. Since 1976, they 
have welcomed everyone who has come through their doors with open arms 
and a kind word. They help those who are struggling to meet their basic 
needs. All of their services are free. They run a food pantry, 
community meal program, drop-in health clinic, job-readiness workshops 
and job fairs, and a host of other important programs.
  After our brief visit, it was back to the pavement, through 
Sunderland and Deerfield, before finally ending in Greenfield.
  We walked a total of 26 miles on day two. Along the way, we felt the 
incredible support of the western Massachusetts community. People 
stopped us along the way to add canned food and other donations to our 
shopping cart. They came out of their homes and their businesses and 
schools, or they stopped their cars along the side of the road to offer 
words of encouragement.
  Along the way, we helped raise more than $150,000 for The Food Bank 
of Western Massachusetts, which distributes hundreds of thousands of 
pounds of food throughout the emergency feeding network in the region.
  Mr. Speaker, by the end, we were sore and tired, but we were 
exhilarated by people's generosity and support. When you add it all up, 
the outpouring of donations and support from our community will help 
provide more than 450,000 meals to families in need.
  The good news is that hunger is a solvable problem. We just need to 
muster the political will to help more communities like these in 
Massachusetts and across the country.
  There is not a single congressional district in the United States 
where hunger isn't an issue affecting the daily lives of kids, 
families, seniors, or veterans. We all have a stake in this, and with 
strong grassroots support from communities in all 50 States, just like 
the ones we visited over 2 days, we have the power to make a real 
difference and help the 48 million Americans struggling with hunger.
  Mr. Speaker, during this holiday season, I urge my colleagues and all 
Americans to remember those who are struggling with hunger. They are 
our neighbors or colleagues and our friends.
  I want to thank everyone who supported this year's Monte's March and 
especially want to thank the incredible community partners on the 
ground for their tireless efforts day in and day out. You inspire us, 
and we thank you for your service.

                          ____________________