    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [October 12, 1999]
    [Pages 1776-1777]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Videotaped Remarks to the National Summit on Community Food Security
    October 12, 1999

        Good afternoon, and thank you for taking the time to participate in
    this first-ever summit on community food security. Thank you, Secretary
    Glickman, for your leadership in this vital
    area.
        Sometimes it's hard to comprehend that in the middle of the
    strongest peacetime economy in our Nation's history, when poverty is at
    a 20-year low and incomes are rising all across America, there are still
    people in our country who go to bed hungry. More than 3 million children
    suffer from hunger at some point during the year. And nearly 1 in 10
    American households are at serious risk that an expensive car repair or
    an unexpected rent increase could make them go hungry. That kind of
    deprivation is simply unacceptable in our land of plenty.

    [[Page 1777]]

        From the earned-income tax credit to Medicaid to child care, our
    administration has carried out a new approach to help lift people out of
    poverty by forging a new social contract that rewards work, promotes
    responsibility, and helps families who need it.
        Last July, I took executive action to help families gain access to
    food stamps. Secretary Glickman is leading our
    efforts to launch a nationwide food stamp public education campaign, and
    all of you gathered here today are critically important to that effort.
    I ask each and every one of you to join with us in our partnership to
    ensure families get the help they need.
        Our work is far from done. While the Federal Government continues to
    be deeply involved in the fight against hunger, our nutritional safety
    net alone can't conquer the problem.
        The solution lies in new and innovative partnerships with grassroots
    efforts. For too long, Government programs haven't done enough to
    capitalize on community expertise. And likewise, community efforts have
    often not taken full advantage of the Government resources available to
    them. This conference is about building stronger partnerships, about
    bringing all the parties to the table and forming stronger ties among
    the Federal Government, State, local, and tribal governments, the
    private sector, nonprofit groups, the faith community, and private
    citizens. The more we work together, the better we can do in meeting the
    challenge of hunger.
        Thank you again for your participation and for the hard work you do
    and the dedication you show every single day in the fight against
    hunger.

    Note: The President's remarks were videotaped at approximately 2:50 p.m.
    in Room 459 in the Old Executive Office Building for broadcast to the
    summit on October 14 in Chicago, IL. The trasncript was released by the
    Office of the Press Secretary on October 14. A tape was not available
    for verification of the content of these remarks.