FOOD BANK SHELVES GO BARE AS FEDERAL FOOD DONATIONS DWINDLE
Passage of Farm Bill Essential for Emergency Feeding Organizations
CHICAGO --- October 18, 2007 --- Food banks nationwide report that inventory is rapidly dwindling as a result of a more than 70 percent decline in support from a federal food aid program in recent years. Strong agricultural markets have led to drastic reductions in food purchased and distributed by the Federal government. Meanwhile, more than 35 million Americans are living on the brink of hunger, and the 2007 Farm Bill must be passed quickly in order to provide essential relief to emergency feeding organizations.
“Our food banks are suffering from a $175 million loss in bonus commodities over the past three years,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of America’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network. “Every day that passes by without a new Farm Bill is a day of emptier shelves at our more than 200 food banks nationwide.”
The House of Representatives passed its version of a Farm Bill in July that would provide more than $4 billion in new investment in federal nutrition programs and boost the currently scare supply of commodities available through the nation’s charitable food distribution system. Specifically, it would raise current levels of mandatory support for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to $250 million annually and index the amount for inflation. Hopefully, the Senate is close to finalizing its version of the Farm Bill.
According to Escarra, “Hunger is a solvable problem, but the charitable sector can not do it alone. Government commodities are among the most nutritious and needed food products that we distribute. I commend the hard work of many of our Congressional leaders to pass a Farm Bill, and I urge them to continue to work and bring home a victory for hungry Americans.”
America's Second Harvest–The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with a Network of more than 200 Member food banks and food-rescue organizations serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The America's Second Harvest Network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually; and supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 94,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs and Kids Cafes. Last year, the America's Second Harvest Network provided food assistance to more than 25 million low-income hungry people in the United States, including 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors. For more on the America's Second Harvest Network, please visit www.secondharvest.org.
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Contact:
Maura Daly
Office: 312.641.6421
Cell: 301.943.3733
Ross Fraser
Office: 312.641.6422
Cell: 312.307.8470
