[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 882 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 882
Declaring support and gratitude by the House of Representatives to food
banks, food pantries, and other community-based organizations working
to end food insecurity and providing other essential services in the
United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 21, 2023
Mr. Correa (for himself, Mrs. Steel, Mr. Levin, Ms. Porter, Ms.
Sanchez, and Mrs. Kim of California) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Declaring support and gratitude by the House of Representatives to food
banks, food pantries, and other community-based organizations working
to end food insecurity and providing other essential services in the
United States.
Whereas there are hundreds of food banks and over 60,000 of their partners,
including food pantries and meal programs, that help address the
persistent problem of food insecurity, which exists in all counties
across the United States;
Whereas food banks collect, sort, and store millions of pounds of food
donations, as well as distribute food to local food pantries, shelters,
senior centers, and schools, and deliver food to people experiencing
food insecurity in our communities, serving over 5,000,000,000 meals
annually;
Whereas food banks are an integral part of antihunger programs in the United
States through their involvement in Federal, State, and local programs,
as well as privately funded programs;
Whereas many food banks manage and support programs that provide food to
children after school, on the weekends, and during the summer to make
sure children in the United States have sufficient food to thrive;
Whereas food bank employees and volunteers also step up to provide critical and
immediate assistance during disasters;
Whereas, in 2022, 49,000,000 people in the United States turned to food banks,
food pantries, and meal programs for assistance and food;
Whereas, in the United States in 2022, nearly 13 percent of all households, over
17 percent of households with children, and nearly 15 percent of rural
households experienced food insecurity, an increase from 2021;
Whereas, in 2021, local rates of food insecurity among the overall population
were as high as 26 percent in some counties, and more than 40 percent
among children;
Whereas, in 2022, 44,200,000 people living in households across the United
States, including 13,400,000 children lived in food-insecure households;
Whereas, in the United States in 2021, 1 in 14 seniors over the age of 60
experienced food insecurity;
Whereas, as many as 1 in 6 military and veteran families in the United States
experience food insecurity, and many military and veteran households
seek supplemental food assistance provided through food banks, food
pantries, and other private sources;
Whereas Federal food assistance programs are essential and provide the bulk of
all food assistance, but they often do not cover the full cost of a
monthly food budget for households, including military and veteran
households, leaving many recipients to rely on food banks to access the
food they and their families need;
Whereas food banks depend on donated foods, private donors, volunteers, and
United States agricultural producers and communities, in addition to
local, State, and Federal support, to provide their services;
Whereas corporate donors, such as grocery stores, retailers, shippers, packers,
and growers are essential team partners for food banks to enable them to
carry out their important work;
Whereas continued demand is straining food banks' ability to meet the needs of
individuals and families experiencing food insecurity;
Whereas food bank employees and volunteers, and community partners work
tirelessly and constantly innovate to provide and distribute as much
food as possible;
Whereas, in 2022, only about 55 percent of food-insecure households participated
in one or more of the largest Federal nutrition assistance programs from
the Department of Agriculture, meaning many eligible people are not
enrolled to receive assistance under such programs, making education
about these programs by food banks and other community-based
organizations an essential service;
Whereas many food banks and their partners provide nutrition education so people
in the United States can enhance their health;
Whereas food insecurity leads to chronic health problems and costs the United
States economy at least $160,000,000,000 each year in additional health
costs and poor health outcomes;
Whereas, in the United States, where nearly 40 percent, or over 118,000,000,000
pounds, of food is wasted annually, an equivalent to 159,000,000,000
meals valued at $444,000,000,000 food banks and other community-based
organizations increasingly rescue and distribute high-quality foods that
would have otherwise been wasted; and
Whereas food banks collect, store, and distribute healthy foods, advocate for
people who are experiencing food insecurity, aim to rescue food from
going to waste and increase food donations, and provide education about
healthy eating: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) declares support and gratitude to food banks and all
other community-based organizations working to end food
insecurity in the United States for tirelessly providing food
assistance; and
(2) confirms that food bank and community-based
organization employees and volunteers, private donors, as well
as United States agricultural producers, serve an essential
role in working to end food insecurity, rescuing food from
going to waste, and improving our general health, welfare, and
the economy.
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