The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“WORKING TO END HUNGER IN AMERICA” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H10124 on Sept. 30, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WORKING TO END HUNGER IN AMERICA
(Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my colleague and fellow Hunger Caucus co-Chair, Congressman John Boozman of Arkansas, for his leadership in the fight to end hunger. On Monday, Congressman Boozman hosted a hunger relief and nutrition roundtable to address hunger in his district, an issue that affects one in seven Arkansas residents.
Joined by Dr. Janey Thornton, deputy under secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, this forum brought together local antihunger leaders to coordinate efforts and discuss innovative ways to eliminate hunger in Arkansas' Third Congressional District. Today, more American than ever struggle to put food on their tables. Hunger is getting worse here in America, and we should do more to combat it. I encourage my colleagues to follow Congressman Boozman's example and host forums to address the problem of hunger in their congressional districts. We owe it to our constituents to come together and to put an end to hunger in America once and for all.
I would like to insert into the Record the following article from The Morning News:
Lack of Transportation Worsens Hunger, Experts Say
(By Doug Thompson)
Rogers.--A full food bank does a hungry person no good if it's miles away and he cannot drive there, hunger experts agreed.
Janey Thornton, deputy undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, met Monday with directors of local food relief agencies and charities along with 3rd District Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers. At least 50 people attended the forum at the Center for Nonprofits in Rogers.
``Do you have problems with `food deserts?' '' Thornton asked soon after the question and answer portion began.
``There are large areas across the country where people don't have a big chain store nearby for a variety of reasons.'' Attendees replied that poor people, particularly the elderly, lack transportation. They go to convenience stores that sell a few groceries. That's a trend nationwide, Thornton said.
``There's little or no fresh fruits and vegetables,'' at these small stores, Thornton said. ``They're also a whole lot more expensive. Milk and other basics can cost two times the amount that you'd find at a chain store.''
``Transportation is a huge, huge problem among seniors,'' said Marge Wolf, director of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank in Bethel Heights. Wolf added that a lack of basic cooking skills has also become a problem.
``Since the recession began, we're having more and more people who don't know how to cook,'' Wolf said. ``We have food at the bank where, if we give it to someone, they do not know how to cook it.''
That is a national trend also, Thornton said. Many could buy food that was at least partly prepared, requiring only heating or some simple preparation to eat when they were employed, she said. ``There are some food banks across the country that are installing kitchens to give basic cooking lessons,'' she said.
It would also help if more people learned to garden, Thornton added. This skill is of great value to the poor, she said. Her home state of Kentucky has a program where seniors show students how to plant gardens in the spring, then tend the gardens while students are away during the summer. The food is harvested in the fall and served in school cafeterias, she said.
____________________
