Feeding America Urges Bipartisan Efforts to Help Feed the Nation's Hungry as Election Season Ends

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Nov 07, 2012, 03:04 ET

CHICAGO, Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Statement Attributable to Matt Knott, Interim President and CEO of Feeding America:

"Now that the elections are over, our elected officials will be making decisions about the important issues facing our nation, both in the next few months and the new Congress. We urge Congress and President Obama to work together to find solutions that maintain Washington's historic and bipartisan commitment to protect nutrition programs that serve low-income families.

"Taking care of our neighbors who don't have enough to eat is an American value and a shared responsibility. Every day we see this partnership reflected in the generous support of our volunteers and donors who help to feed the millions of Americans who are at risk of going hungry every year. This value has long been reflected in Washington through a strong federal commitment to important hunger-relief efforts like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).

"We understand Congress has a big and urgent challenge at hand, to balance the budget. As they tackle that challenge, it is so important to remember that the budget should not be balanced on the backs of the poor who are not benefiting as the economy recovers ever so slowly.

"Nearly 50 million food insecure Americans have to make tough choices every day about how to make ends meet and ensure they have enough to eat while paying for other basic needs like rent or utilities. While the Administration and the Congress have many tough choices that they will be making, one choice is easy—ensuring that we move forward, not backward, in the fight to end hunger. Protecting and strengthening the nutrition safety net that serves vulnerable, low-income families, children and seniors is something that we can all agree on."

About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

Contact:
Ross Fraser
312.641.6422

SOURCE Feeding America