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Hoyer, Wolf, Davis, Moran, Wynn, Van Hollen, and Norton Secure Funds
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, November 18, 2005
WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Frank Wolf (R-VA), Tom Davis (R-VA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Albert Wynn (D-MD), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the following joint statement today announcing that at their request, the FY 2006 Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia Appropriations Conference Report, approved by the House of Representatives today, included $1,300,000 in federal funds for the Capital Area Food Bank.
“The Capital Area Food Bank has been a regional success story for 25 years. It is the largest non-profit provider of food and other necessities in the Washington metropolitan area, and turns 92 percent of every dollar contributed into food and services for our communities. Each year, the Food Bank distributes over 20 million pounds of food to over 275,000 individuals through over 700 partner agencies. The Food Bank’s clients include 400 agencies in the District of Columbia, 230 in Northern Virginia, and 160 in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties in Maryland.
“This funding – together with a capital campaign that will raise the vast majority of needed funds from individuals, companies, and foundations – will enable the Food Bank to acquire and renovate a new warehouse and meet the growing demands of the hungry in the Washington Metropolitan area. Given the limits of the organization’s current facility, the Food Bank was forced to turn away more than 2 million pounds of food last year. A new warehouse will allow the Food Bank to more than double its output, serve nearly 4 million meals a month, and become a hub for its umbrella organization, America’s Second Harvest.
“People who are hungry can’t stay healthy and can’t work or learn at their full capacity. This federal contribution of $1,300,000 toward the acquisition of new warehouse space for the Capital Area Food Bank is a wise investment that will pay dividends in the Washington region many times over.”
Lynn Brantley, President and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, said today, "The Capital Area Food Bank thanks Congress and the Members from our region for supporting our plans to expand our operations. We are proud of the work we and our partner agencies do, but with more than 600,000 men, women, and children at risk of hunger in the Washington metropolitan area, we know we must do more. Our new warehouse will allow us to serve more meals and allow our partner agencies to direct their resources to additional social services for the community. On the eve of Thanksgiving, this generous support from Congress is particularly appropriate and appreciated."
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