McGovern Praises Starbucks for Donating Surplus Food to Help Reduce Hunger and Food Waste

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) delivered a speech on the House Floor in honor of Hunger Action Month to praise Starbucks for its FoodShare program, a new initiative to donate unused food to help reduce food waste and work with local food banks to reduce hunger in communities across the country.

At a local Starbucks on Capitol Hill, Congressman McGovern joined Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), his fellow co-chair of the bipartisan House Hunger Caucus, to learn more about the program and how it will contribute to the national effort to help the 47 million Americans who struggle with hunger every year. Click Here for Video of Today’s Speech.

Click Here to Learn More About the Starbucks FoodShare Program.

Full Text of Today’s Speech is Below:

“To kick off Hunger Action Month, today I joined Representative Lynn Jenkins of Kansas on a tour of the Starbucks on Capitol Hill to learn about an innovative partnership between Feeding America and Starbucks to donate unused food.  

“At the end of each day, Starbucks will package surplus ready-to-eat food that gets picked up overnight and delivered to local food banks. 

“I was impressed by the selection of nutritious food. We often think of Starbucks as a place to stop for a coffee, but we saw a number of healthy options like salads, sandwiches, and more. 

“Starbucks will expand the project to all its stores in the next few years. They expect to donate 50 million meals annually, diverting 60 million pounds of surplus food away from landfills and to hungry families in need. 

“More than 47 million Americans suffer from hunger and food insecurity. In the richest country in the world, we must do all we can to ensure that no family goes hungry and donating unused food is a key step.

“Starbucks deserves much credit for being a leader in the effort to end hunger.”

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