Ending Hunger

May 21, 2007 Congressman Jim McGovern's statement on the final day of the Food Stamp Challenge

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Congressman McGovern's statement on Day 2 of the Food Stamp Challenge (video)
5/16/2007

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Congressman McGovern's statement on the Food Stamp Challenge (video)
5/15/2007

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Congressman McGovern takes the Food Stamp Challenge
May 8, 2007

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Hunger is a real and growing problem in America. Nearly 36 million Americans do not consistently have enough food to feed themselves or their families. In Massachusetts alone, approximately 175,000 households are food insecure. Without community and federal assistance, many families who go without food would be forced to choose between paying their utility bills, addressing family health care needs, or buying food. A recent study in Massachusetts found that hungry children had lower grades and more behavior problems than their peers.

Around the world, approximately 798 million people experience chronic hunger. However, the problem is not a lack of food; it is a lack of political will. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, we grow more than enough food to feed every person around the globe every day. We have the tools to solve hunger—around the world and in our own backyard. Now, we need to act.

I believe ending hunger is our moral obligation. As the richest nation in the world, we have no excuse for allowing hunger to continue its hold on millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of people around the world. In order to combat hunger in this country, I have introduced legislation, including The Hunger-Free Communities Act and The Hunger Relief Trucking Tax Credit Act. I am also committed to reducing hunger and poverty in the developing world, and one effective vehicle for doing that is the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, which has reduced hunger in the developing world among school-aged children since 2002. Certainly, hunger also exists in my Congressional District, which is why I have worked in partnership with local community groups and public leaders to organize a “Community Forum on Hunger” and to create a hunger-free local network.