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SRES 558 ATS

Designating June 10, 2008, as `National Hunger Awareness Day' and authorizing the collection of food donations during the period beginning May 12, 2008, and ending June 10, 2008, from concerned Members of Congress and staff to assist families suffering from hunger and food insecurity in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

May 12, 2008

Mr. SMITH (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mrs. DOLE, Mr. CASEY, Mrs. BOXER, and Mr. WYDEN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

Designating June 10, 2008, as `National Hunger Awareness Day' and authorizing the collection of food donations during the period beginning May 12, 2008, and ending June 10, 2008, from concerned Members of Congress and staff to assist families suffering from hunger and food insecurity in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Whereas food insecurity and hunger are a fact of life for millions of low-income citizens of the United States and can produce physical, mental, and social impairments;

Whereas recent data published by the Department of Agriculture show that 35,500,000 people in the United States live in households experiencing hunger or food insecurity, and of that number, 22,800,000 are adults and 12,600,000 are children;

Whereas households with children had nearly twice the rate of food insecurity as those without children;

Whereas 3.3 percent of all United States households (3.8 million households) have accessed emergency food from a food pantry 1 or more times;

Whereas 55.5 percent of food-insecure households have participated in at least 1 of the 3 major Federal food assistance programs: the Federal food stamp program established by the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the school lunch program established by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.), and the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children established under section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786);

Whereas the problem of hunger and food insecurity can be found in rural, suburban, and urban portions of the United States, touching nearly every community of the Nation;

Whereas, although substantial progress has been made in reducing the incidence of hunger and food insecurity in the United States, certain groups remain vulnerable to hunger and the negative effects of food deprivation, including the working poor, the elderly, homeless people, children, migrant workers, and Native Americans;

Whereas the people of the United States have a long tradition of providing food assistance to hungry people through acts of private generosity and public support programs;

Whereas there is a growing awareness of the important public and private partnership role that community-based organizations, institutions of faith, and charities provide in assisting hungry and food-insecure people;

Whereas more than 50,000 local community-based organizations rely on the support and efforts of more than 1,000,000 volunteers to provide food assistance and services to millions of vulnerable people; and

Whereas all citizens of the United States can help participate in hunger relief efforts in their communities by--

(1) donating food and money to such efforts;

(2) volunteering for such efforts; and

(3) supporting public policies aimed at reducing hunger: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) designates June 10, 2008, as `National Hunger Awareness Day';

(2) calls on the people of the United States to observe National Hunger Awareness Day--

(A) with appropriate ceremonies, volunteer activities, and other support for local anti-hunger advocacy efforts and hunger relief charities, including food banks, food rescue organizations, food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters; and

(B) by continuing to support programs and public policies that reduce hunger and food insecurity in the United States; and

(3) authorizes the collection of food donations during the period beginning May 12, 2008, and ending June 10, 2008, from concerned Members of Congress and staff to assist families suffering from hunger and food insecurity in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

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