FRAC: Jim Weill Statement - Release of Blueprint to End Hunger in America

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Statement by Jim Weill, President of the Food Research and Action Center, on the Release of the Blueprint to End Hunger in America

October 16, 2008 - Today, the National Anti-Hunger Organizations (NAHO) – of which the Food Research and Action Center is a member – released the Blueprint to End Hunger in America (pdf). In it, we offer common sense recommendations that will set our nation on the path to ending hunger. These recommendations call for a renewed commitment by the public and by our nation’s leaders at all levels of government, and call for adequate new investment in proven public nutrition programs. Together, these recommendations, when adopted, will lead to a day when all Americans can obtain an adequate and healthy diet.

According to the most recent (for 2006) Census Bureau/U.S. Department of Agriculture data, more than 35.5 million Americans face a constant struggle against hunger. The current economy is only making matters worse for them and rapidly adding to their numbers. The federal nutrition programs – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, which is the new name for the Food Stamp Program), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), school meals, summer food, and food for children in child care, as well as other government supports – are a lifeline for struggling people. Expanding and improving their reach is the fastest and most direct way to end hunger.

Hunger is a growing concern among Americans, and people believe that the government should invest more in federal nutrition programs. Recent public polling shows that a majority of Americans believes that eliminating hunger should be a priority of the federal government and the next administration; more than half believe we are failing as a country to ensure that people do not go hungry.

Federal, state and local governments can all play a part in advancing the Blueprint’s goals. On the state and local level, officials can make hunger a priority by conducting more outreach to connect eligible families to these programs and adopting policies that make it easier for people to participate. On the federal level, Congress can strengthen and improve these programs through the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization, by investing more through the budget process, and, most urgently, by including a temporary boost in SNAP benefits to help households weather the rapidly rising costs for food.

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The Food Research and Action Center (www.frac.org) is the leading national organization working for more effective public and private policies to eradicate domestic hunger and undernutrition.

The National Anti-Hunger Organizations is a coalition of the major anti-hunger organizations in the nation dedicated to collective advancement of direct service and public policies to end hunger in America.

The Blueprint to End Hunger in America recommends programmatic investments and improvements in the national nutrition safety net. It outlines strategies to improve benefit adequacy and access in the Food Stamp, child nutrition, WIC and emergency feeding programs. The Blueprint is available online at www.frac.org/pdf/blueprint2008.pdf