    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [November 23, 1996]
    [Pages 2145-2146]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    November 23, 1996

        Good morning. As you know, I'm traveling across the Pacific visiting
    Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Hillary and I and our
    delegation are enjoying the great natural beauty and the warmth and
    hospitality of the people of this diverse region.
        America's involvement and influence here helps to provide the
    stability, to promote the economic progress, to encourage the
    cooperation on many fronts, including preserving our natural
    environment, that benefits all Americans. With partners and friends like
    the nations I'm visiting, we're going to enter the 21st century stronger
    than ever.
        This is a good trip, but I'm looking forward to returning home in
    time for Thanksgiving. More than any other holiday, Thanksgiving reminds
    us of the importance of family and community and the ties that bind us
    together. As we gather with our families this year to give thanks, we
    must never forget the duty we owe to those in our American community who
    are less fortunate than we are.
        The Bible tells us that when we harvest, we must not take everything
    for ourselves but remember to leave something for the poor to glean.
    Today, those gleanings are the gifts of food we give to those who need
    them. Across our Nation, in food banks and houses of worship and
    community groups, thousands of Americans are taking the initiative to
    fight hunger and feed their neighbors. We must all do our part and
    support these efforts because not all the needs are met and we plainly
    can do more. For example, we know that too much food goes to waste. In
    restaurants, cafeterias, and grocery stores across our country,
    thousands of pounds of perfectly good, healthy food is thrown out every
    day, enough to feed 49 million people a year. Recovering that surplus
    food can make a real difference in the fight against hunger in America.
        Our administration has tried to help. This past summer, hundreds of
    young people from our national service program, AmeriCorps, joined
    private volunteers to get food to the poor. They worked with farmers in
    the fields, teaching them how to save excess produce. They worked with
    the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the Congressional Hunger Center to
    help recover 174 tons of excess food. All told, this past summer they
    recovered over a thousand tons of food, providing over a million meals.
    And every week the U.S. Department of Agriculture's cafeteria in
    Washington sends another 150 pounds of food to a soup kitchen.
        Last October I signed into law the good Samaritan food donation act.
    This law encourages private businesses, local governments, and ordinary
    citizens to donate food by protecting them from lawsuits. This can make
    a real difference. Second Harvest, a national food bank network,
    estimates that the good Samaritan law will result in approximately 25
    million pounds of food next year.
        Today we're taking two more steps to help fight hunger. First, I'm
    directing every department and agency in our administration to actively
    work to promote food recovery and distribution. From now on, all Federal
    agencies will recover surplus food from their cafeterias, public events,
    and other food-service facilities. And they'll work with Government
    contractors,

    [[Page 2146]]

    State and local governments, and private businesses to encourage all
    citizens to do the same.
        The second thing we're doing is to make it easier for private
    citizens to take steps to help feed the poor. Today we're releasing a
    new handbook, ``The Citizen's Guide to Food Recovery.'' It will tell you
    how you can get started, the names of the charities in your area that
    work to recover food, and the lessons we've already learned in
    communities all across America. You can call a 1-800 number; it's 1-800-
    GLEAN-IT--that's 1-800-G-L-E-A-N-I-T--to learn more about food recovery
    and to get a copy of the Citizen's Guide.
        Our Nation has always been a land of plenty. But as blessed as we
    are, we must never forget that there are those still struggling to take
    part in America's bounty. Ultimately, all Americans must take
    responsibility to help our fellow citizens in need. So this
    Thanksgiving, as we celebrate with our own loved ones, let us remember
    those who are not so fortunate. By making sure that food does not go to
    waste, we can make the spirit of Thanksgiving real for literally
    millions of our people every single day of the year.
        Thanks for listening, and Happy Thanksgiving.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7 a.m. on November 22 in Cairns,
    Australia, for domestic broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on November 23. H.R.
    2428, approved October 1, to encourage the donation of food and grocery
    products to nonprofit organizations for distribution to needy
    individuals by giving the Model Good Samaritan Food Donation Act the
    full force and effect of law, was assigned Public Law No. 104-210.