[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 51 (Monday, December 23, 2002)]
[Pages 2177-2178]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Remarks at the Capital Area Food Bank
December 19, 2002
The President. Thanks. Be seated. Thank you very much. Good morning.
Audience members. Good morning.
The President. It is nice to be in a building full of food and full
of love. We are honored to be here. Laura and I are here to send a
message to our fellow Americans: We hope you love your neighbor as you
would like to love--be loved yourself, that in this holiday season,
let's commit ourselves to making it a season of service to others,
others who might hurt, others who need food, others who can benefit from
our kindness and generosity.
I love to tell people in this country--this is a fabulous country--
in my judgment, the greatest country on the face of the Earth. And the
reason why is because America is full of people who have got great
hearts and great souls, people who are willing to serve something
greater than themselves. My call for the holiday season is for people to
serve your Nation by helping somebody in need, to join the--become a
soldier in the army of compassion.
I want to thank the Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman, for her
service to our country. Mr. Mayor, I appreciate you being here. It's
nice to see you; appreciate you keeping the potholes around the White
House--[laughter]. I'm honored that members of the city council are
here. Thank you all for coming. It's a--it is a fantastic tribute to
your government that you support programs such as this food bank, center
for--for the eradication of hunger in Washington, DC. I appreciate your
strong statement and your deep concern.
I want to thank Lynn. Lynn Brantley is president and CEO of the
Capital Area Food Bank. I appreciate your heart. I appreciate your
organizational talents. I mean, after all, this is the center for
distribution to hundreds of outlets to feed people who are hungry. I
mean, not only does Lynn care a lot, but she has obviously got a pretty
good--a capacity to organize. She had me in peaches and spinach.
[Laughter]
I want to thank Greg TenEyck, who is the chairman. Good morning, Mr.
Chairman. Thank you. I want to thank Barry Scher, who is the vice
chairman. Thank you all for helping out and dedicating your time and
efforts to make sure this program is viable and strong.
I think the thing we've got to understand here in the midst of all
our plenty is that there are people who hurt, people who are hungry,
people who need love, people who, when you hear the word ``American
Dream'' have no idea what you're talking about. And if they do, they
wonder whether or not that American Dream applies to them.
Our goal in America is to do everything we can to help those who
hurt. And there is a role for government, no question about it. I like
to say government can spend money, but government cannot put hope in
people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. Government can
help, but government should never crowd out the great compassion we find
in programs such as this right here.
Washington, DC, hurt as a result of the attacks of September the
11th. The economy suffered around here. Therefore, there are more who
hunger, and there are less who are giving.
The agencies involved with helping those in need, need our sustained
help. This organization here attracts nearly 12,000 volunteers. I want
to thank those who volunteer here. I want to thank you for what you do
and thank you for being a part of the great fabric of compassion in
America.
More Americans need to volunteer. There are ways to do so. The
usafreedomcorps.gov on the Web page is the place to look. You
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can call 1-877-USA-CORPS and find out ways that you can help. If you are
interested in being a part of feeding those who hunger, this is a great
place to come to.
But you can find out on the Web page other ways to help. People
oftentimes say, ``Well, I want to help. I don't know how.'' Well, we're
trying to help you find out how. I hope people around this country
realize that agencies such as this food bank need money. They need our
contributions. Contributions are down. They shouldn't be down in a time
of need. We shouldn't let the enemy affect us to the point where we
become less generous. Our spirit should never be diminished by what
happened on September the 11th, 2001.
Quite the contrary, we must stand squarely in the face of evil by
doing some good. And part of doing good is not only dedicating your time
and talent to help but to reach into your wallet so that those of us who
hurt among us have a chance to heal and to be a part of the American
experience.
Those who are poor, those who suffer, those who have last hope are
not strangers in our midst. They're our fellow citizens. And in this
time of joy, in the time of blessing, we've got to remember that. To
make the season complete and the season whole, we must help those who
are in need.
One of the things you've got to--I hope you'll recognize about me is
sometimes I get a little wordy; I admit that. But I hope you view me as
a man of action as well. We've got over 29 Federal agencies, people
within the agencies who have been called upon to help. And they are
helping. And I want to thank the Federal employees who have heard the
call to love their neighbor just like you would like to be loved
yourself.
We all have a responsibility in high positions or low positions to
follow through with our--with words and deeds. And this administration
is committed to fulfilling the great promise of the American experience.
Again, I want to thank you all for coming. You know, we live in a
blessed land. We live in a fantastic, fantastic country. The goals for
this country are peace in the world, and the goals for this country are
a compassionate American for every single citizen. That compassion is
found in the hearts and souls of the American citizens.
My call to the American people is, patriotism is more than just
putting your hand over your heart. Being a patriot in America is serving
something greater than yourself, is serving the greatest country on the
face of the Earth by helping a neighbor in need.
May God bless this institution. May God bless the volunteers and
donors and people who have made Capital Food Bank thrive. May God
continue to encourage the spirit of giving and love. And may God bless
America.
Thank you.
Note: The President spoke at 11:11 a.m. in the warehouse. In his
remarks, he referred to Mayor Anthony A. Williams of Washington, DC. The
Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
transcript of these remarks.