Poverty

Testifies at Senate Agriculture Committee on the Opportunities to Address Critical Issues During Reauthorization of Child Nutrition Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 17 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today testified in front of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Environment on the opportunities to combat child hunger and improve the health and nutrition of children across the country during the upcoming reauthorization of USDA's Child Nutrition Programs.

Below are excerpts from Vilsack's prepared testimony:

"The reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Programs presents us with an important opportunity to combat child hunger, improve the health and nutrition of children across the nation, and enhance program performance.    » read more »

Legislation Encourages Donations to Feed Hungry Before Thanksgiving

November 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate has designated this Thursday, November 19 – exactly one week before Thanksgiving Day -- as “Feed America Day”.

Senator Tom Udall, a sponsor of the bipartisan “Feed America Day” initiative, said that in the spirit of Thanksgiving, the bill encourages Americans to skip two meals this Thursday before Thanksgiving, and instead donate the money they would have spent or food to a local charity or food bank for the hungry.    » read more »

Statement of the Honorable Blanche L. Lincoln, Chairman, Hearing on Child Nutrition Reauthorization

November 17, 2009 -- As prepared for delivery:

“Good morning and welcome to the Senate Agriculture Committee, where today we will continue a series of hearings begun by my predecessor, Senator Tom Harkin, in anticipation of the reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs. We are honored today to be joined by two distinguished panels of witnesses, including Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and a panel of experts from Arkansas.    » read more »

Hearing on Child Nutrition Reauthorization

November 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today urged his Senate colleagues to take action to end hunger as the Senate begins to debate the reauthorization of U.S. Child Nutrition Programs. Senator Casey participated in a hearing of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry entitled “Reauthorization of U.S. Child Nutrition Programs: Opportunities to Fight Hunger and Improve Child Health.”    » read more »

As Overall Hunger Rates Go Down Over Three Years in Colorado, Study Shows that Problem Increased in 2009 as Economic Crisis Continues to Hurt Families

November 17, 2009 -- On the heels of a new study that found 1 in 8 Colorado households lack dependable access to adequate food, as well as recent reports showing more children in Colorado are living in poverty, Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, today pushed lawmakers to revisit the role the federal government can play in fighting child hunger and improving public health.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- “As American families prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, we received an unsettling report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that found that hunger rose significantly last year. This trend was already painfully clear in many communities across our nation, where food stamp applications are surging and food pantry shelves are emptying.

It is particularly troubling that there were more than 500,000 families in which a child experienced hunger multiple times over the course of the year. Our children’s ability to grow, learn, and meet their full potential – and therefore our future competitiveness as a nation – depends on regular access to healthy meals.    » read more »

Economic Research Service Report Demonstrates Need for Action

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2009 - USDA's Economic Research Service's (ERS) today released its annual report on Household Food Security in the U.S., which revealed that in 2008, 17 million households, or 14.6 percent, were food insecure and families had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year.

This is an increase from 13 million households, or 11.1 percent, in 2007. The 2008 figures represent the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995. The full study is available at www.ers.usda.gov/features/householdfoodsecurity/.    » read more »

10.1 percent of households in Wisconsin faced food insecurity from 2006-08

November 16, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) -- Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) commented on the numbers released by the United States Department of Agriculture today tracking the food security of American households for 2008. Food security refers to a household’s consistent ability to access enough food for active, healthy lives for all household members at all times during the year.

The USDA study found that in 2008, 14.6 percent (17 million) households were food insecure, which means that eating patterns of a family were altered or disrupted because of insufficient resources for food.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) released the following statement today on the USDA’s report on Household Food Security in the United States, 2008, which showed 49 million Americans lack dependable access to adequate food. This is the highest number since the government began keeping records, and underscores the need for further action from Congress. Congresswoman DeLauro said:

“The new hunger figures released today by the USDA are deeply disturbing, especially given that food and fuel costs were rising so dramatically during 2008. It is even more disturbing to think that these numbers are probably worse today due to the economy.    » read more »

Arkansas Now Ranked as Having Third Highest Rate of Hunger in the U.S.

November 16, 2009 -- Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, issued the following statement today in response to the release of the United States Department of Agriculture’s 2008 Food Security Report.

The report showed that 14.6 percent of U.S. households struggled to provide enough food to feed their families during certain times of the year in 2008, a significant increase over the rate of 11.1 percent in 2007. This is an increase of nearly 13 million individuals over just a one year period, from 36.2 million in 2007 to 49.1 million in 2008.    » read more »

USDA report shows highest level of U.S. food insecurity since report initiated in 1995; UN conference held on combating international hunger; Casey launches statewide “Witnesses to Hunger” exhibit

November 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC- As the USDA released new data showing that one in seven American households had difficulty in putting enough food on the table and the World Summit on Food Security convened in Rome, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) addressed the urgent need to address food insecurity at home and abroad. Senator Casey also launched a statewide Witnesses to Hunger exhibit to document hunger and poverty.    » read more »

750 families will be positively impacted by the partnership

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Nov. 10, 2009 – As a part of their commitment to women’s empowerment, Walmart and CARE announced the launch of a Cashew Value Chain Initiative. As part of the Walmart Foundation’s $1 million grant to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization, this project marks the first of a series of initiatives to elevate women from poverty worldwide.

Over the next year, Walmart and CARE will create a women owned-and-operated community-based institution to provide more equitable and consistent incomes for approximately 750 women in the cashew farming and processing sector in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu State in Southern India, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Following an announcement by the U.N. Food Agency of a record one billion people in the world who go hungry, U.S. Senator Bob Casey today took to the Senate floor to urge his Senate colleagues to take action on global food security and pass the Global Food Security Act.

“This is a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions that we can go a long way towards solving,” Senator Casey said. “This crisis is solvable with a combination of assistance and emphasis on providing small farmers around the world with the know-how, technology and means to provide for themselves.”    » read more »

Oct. 16, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced today the restoration of funding for the Aid to the Needy Disabled (AND) Program, which provides a monthly stipend of some $200 for food, housing and other essential services to about 6,500 of Colorado's most vulnerable residents.

To help close a $320 million budget shortfall in current FY09-10, the AND Program was slated to be suspended effective Jan. 1, 2010, for a $7.2 million savings.

"Over the past year, working together with the legislature, we've closed recession-caused budget shortfalls of nearly $2 billion," Gov. Ritter said. "We've taken great care and been guided by compassion in making surgical reductions to avoid pain where possible and preserve the safety net for those who depend on government services.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Late yesterday, the United States Senate unanimously approved a bill to award Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus a Congressional Gold Medal. The bill, introduced by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT), recognizes Dr. Yunus as a leading figure in the effort to fight poverty and promote economic and social opportunity.

Through his Grameen Bank, Dr. Yunus has pioneered the microcredit movement and helped hundreds of millions of people around the world break out of poverty.    » read more »