National Hunger Awareness Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise in honor of National Hunger Awareness Day, which takes place on June 7. On this day, we focus on the difficult reality that exists for millions of Americans. Hunger is a form of poverty, and the persistence of hunger in the wealthiest nation in the world is both alarming and unacceptable. It is long past due that we recognize the devastating impact of hunger and commit to protect the anti-hunger programs that help children and families in their time of need.

Today, June 6, marks a sad day in America, the forty-fourth anniversary of Senator Robert Kennedy's death. In April 1967, Senator Kennedy visited homes in the Mississippi Delta where he was stunned to see babies with distended bellies and ice boxes and cupboards bare of food. Senator Kennedy was visibly moved by those he met with on his trip and went back to Washington to make hunger a national issue and to raise federal support for hungry children and families.

Today the fight continues. Hunger remains a reality in all of our communities. We see it in the long lines at our food pantries. We hear it from seniors forced to choose between groceries and medication. And we see it in the faces of children at school who have not had a decent meal since yesterday's school lunch.

During a visit to a food bank in Champaign, IL, I noticed a young woman who I thought worked there or served on the board, but when she spoke with me I learned that she is a teacher's aide in a local school and a single mom with two kids. While she is happy to have her teaching job, she doesn't earn enough to keep food on the table and must rely on the food bank and food stamps.

Her story is not unique. Millions of families live each day not knowing if or how they will put food on the table. Rather than thinking about what the next meal will be, parents worry if there will be a next meal. Today, 50 million people have trouble putting food on the table, and 740,000 children live in a food insecure household. Where there is poverty, we see a greater demand for emergency food programs and support. Fortunately, programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program--SNAP--Women, Infant, Children--WIC--Program, and school meal programs provide food for hungry children and families. These programs have responded to the growing need by helping low and middle-class families, children, and seniors maintain a healthy diet.

The benefits of SNAP reach far beyond helping households maintain a healthy diet. SNAP is one of the Nation's most important anti-hunger programs and has provided over 46 million Americans with essential food assistance. In Illinois, more than 1.8 million people rely on SNAP benefits. SNAP has lifted nearly 2.5 million children out of poverty, more than any other government program.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture's--USDA--Economic Research Service, $5 of SNAP benefits can generate $9 in economic activity through retail demand, farm production, and jobs. When millions of Americans are struggling, food stamps meet a basic human need.

This week the Senate will take up the Farm bill, which provides critical funding for food assistance programs, including SNAP. I am concerned about possible amendments to significantly cut the program and fundamentally alter how the program operates. SNAP provides an important safety net for households that have fallen on hard times.

Throughout the country, food banks and pantries that rely on Federal assistance are the front line of the fight against hunger, providing emergency food assistance to hungry families. At a time when millions of middle class Americans are struggling to keep up with higher gas prices, grocery bills, and health care costs, more families are looking to federal programs for assistance. Throughout the country, federal hunger assistance programs have responded to this growing need by providing essential support to hungry families. Over the past 2 years, Illinois food banks have seen a 50 percent increase in requests for food assistance.

As Americans struggle to make ends meet, they rely on food pantries to fill gaps in their grocery needs. The Central Illinois Food Bank is one of many in my State that help to meet that need. Central Illinois Food Bank celebrates its 30th anniversary today. In its first year, the food bank had one truck and a staff of three and distributed 700,000 pounds of food to 85 agencies. The food bank now serves 150 agencies and distributes 800,000 pounds of food a month. Last year, the food bank helped over 100,000 families and provided well over 1 million pounds of fresh produce. I am grateful to the Central Illinois Food Bank for its work on the front lines of the fight to end hunger and for the safety net it provides for families having trouble putting food on the table.

The millions of Americans who rely on safety net anti-hunger programs may not have the loudest voice in the debate or big public relations firms, but we must protect these programs and work to improve the lives of vulnerable families, children, and seniors at their time of need. Hunger in America is not something we can ignore. At a time when families are working to make ends meet, this isn't the place we should be looking to for cuts. We cannot return to the scenes that Senator Robert Kennedy witnessed decades ago. We should honor his legacy by protecting these programs that help families out food on the table. No family should have to wonder where their next meal will come from.

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