Federal Food Donation Act of 2007

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the District of Columbia for yielding me the time and for her support for this bill and for so many other important issues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4220, the Federal Food Donation Act of 2007.

Let me begin by commending the sponsor of this legislation, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson. Congresswoman Emerson is a true champion for the hungry in this country. She's a friend who doesn't just talk about hunger, but is a leader in the effort to fight to end hunger in this country.

It's not an easy effort, and I know that she has to work to convince people around this country and in this very building that there are people who still go without food in this great Nation of ours. She's a shining example of someone who puts partisanship aside and works towards a goal that should be achievable.

So I want to thank Congresswoman Emerson for her steadfast leadership on this issue and for introducing this important legislation.

I also want to thank Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis and the other members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for their quick and thorough work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, hunger is getting worse in America. More than 35.5 million people went hungry in the United States in 2006, an increase of more than 300,000 from 2005. There are many in Congress who talk about the booming economy and economic growth, but it is clear that millions of Americans are not benefiting from this so-called economic expansion.

The costs of living in America are rising. Energy costs are increasing, food prices continue to go up, and the housing crisis is straining the budgets of middle- and lower-income families. The reality is that many Americans are walking a fiscal tightrope where any economic change or family crisis, like an unexpected illness or job loss, could force people to go without food for a period of time.

That we are even talking about any person going hungry in the richest and most prosperous Nation in the world is an embarrassment, and we should all be ashamed for not doing more to combat hunger here at home.

H.R. 4220 is a good step in the fight against hunger. Unfortunately, it's not going to end hunger in America, but it will provide one more way to fight hunger.

As has already been described, the Federal Food Donation Act would require executive agencies who serve food on their premises to encourage the donation of excess food to nonprofit organizations. Such food rescue efforts can be particularly useful to the more than 43,000 soup kitchens and food pantries on the front lines battling hunger. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee broadened the scope of this bill, and I'm especially pleased the bill was expanded to include the Department of Defense.

The reality is that food costs are increasing; and America's food banks, the safety net of our anti-hunger system, is straining to meet this need. According to a new report released today by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, requests for food increased an average of 12 percent over the last year. Yet at the same time, a recent Washington Post article reports that the Capital Area Food Bank, the emergency food system for Washington, DC, had only 230,000 pounds of food on its shelves, down from 570,000 pounds at this time last year. Nationwide, food donations to food banks are expected to fall short of the need by 15 million pounds.

Mr. Speaker, we need to do more to address and ultimately end hunger in America. The Federal safety net developed over the years, the Food Stamp program, Meals on Wheels, school meals and the emergency food system, is working but it is strained. Private organizations like Catholic Charities and the Nation's food banks, just to name two examples, are filling the gaps where they can. It is time we commit to ending hunger once and for all. It's time that we dedicate the resources of our great Nation to ending this scourge. The Federal Food Donation Act is a good first step, and I'm pleased that the House is acting on it today.

Mr. Speaker, I insert into the Record at this point two articles documenting the shortage of food for the hungry in this country and one article announcing the U.S. Conference of Mayors report on hunger and homelessness.

[From Newsweek, Nov. 26, 2007]

Blessed Is the Full Plate

(By Anna Quindlen)

One of the most majestic dining rooms in New York City is

in the Church of the Holy Apostles. After the landmark

building was nearly destroyed by fire in 1990, the Episcopal

parish made the decision not to replace the pews so that the

nave could become a place of various uses. There are

traditional Sunday services, of course, and the gay and

lesbian synagogue on Friday evenings. And every weekday more

than a thousand people eat lunch at round tables beneath 12-

foot stained-glass windows and a priceless Dutch pipe organ.

``You can't get more Biblical than feeding the hungry:'

says the Rev. William Greenlaw, the rector.

Holy Apostles has fed the hungry for 25 years now without

missing a single weekday, including the morning after the

fire, when the church lay in ruins, still smoldering, and 943

meals were served by candlelight. There's a queue on Ninth

Avenue by midmorning;

sometimes tourists think there's a wait for some exclusive

New York happening until they notice the shabby clothes,

piles of shopping bags and unshaven faces that are the small

unmistakable markers of poverty.

The poor could be forgiven for feeling somewhat poorer

nowadays. The share of the nation's income going to the top 1

percent of its citizens is at its highest level since 1928,

just before the big boom went bust. But poverty is not a

subject that's been discussed much by the current

administration, who were wild to bring freedom to the Iraqis

but not bread to the South Bronx. ``Hunger is hard for us as

a nation to admit,'' says Clyde Kuemmerle, who oversees the

volunteers at Holy Apostles. ``That makes it hard to talk

about and impossible to run on.''

At Holy Apostles the issue is measured in mouthfuls. Pasta,

collard greens, bread, cling peaches. But in this anniversary

year the storage shelves are less full, the pipeline less

predictable. The worst emergency food shortage in years is

plaguing charities from Maine to California, even while the

number of those who need help grows. The director of City

Harvest in New York, Jilly Stephens, has told her staff they

have to find another million pounds of food over the next few

months to make up the shortfall. ``Half as many pantry bags''

is the mantra heard now that the city receives half the

amount of emergency food than it once did from the Feds. In

Los Angeles 24 million pounds of food in 2002 became 15

million in 2006; in Oregon 13 million pounds dwindled to six.

It's a cockamamie new math that denies the reality of hunger

amid affluence.

There are many reasons why. An agriculture bill that would

have increased aid and the food-stamp allotment has been

knocking around Congress, where no one ever goes hungry.

Donations from a federal program that buys excess crops from

farmers and gives them to food banks has shrunk alarmingly.

Even the environment and corporate efficiency have

contributed to empty pantries: more farmers are producing

corn for ethanol, and more companies have conquered quality

control, cutting down on those irregular cans and battered

boxes that once went to the needy.

What hasn't shrunk is the size of the human stomach. At

lunchtime at Holy Apostles, Ernest is hungry, his hand

bandaged because he got in a fight, even though he is sober

now and has his own place in the Bronx. Janice is hungry,

too, she of the beautiful manners and carefully knotted

headscarf, who sleeps on the train on winter nights and walks

with a cane since being hit by a car. There are the two

veterans, both Marines, with the raddled faces and slightly

unfocused eyes of those who sleep outdoors, which means

mostly always being half-awake, and that group of Chinese

women who don't speak English, and the Muslim couple who sit

alone. Mostly it's single men at Holy Apostles. Some are

mentally ill, and some are addicts, and to repair their lives

would take a lot of help. But at the moment they have an

immediate problem with an immediate answer: pasta, collard

greens, bread, cling peaches.

This place is a blessing, and an outrage. ``We call these

people our guests,'' says the rector. ``They are the children

of God.'' That's real God talk. The political arena has been

lousy with the talk-show variety in recent years: worrying

about whether children could pray in school instead of

whether they'd eaten before they got there, obsessing about

the beginning of life instead of the end of poverty,

concerned with private behavior instead of public generosity.

There's a miracle in which an enormous crowd comes to hear

Jesus and he feeds them all by turning a bit of bread and

fish into enough to serve the multitudes. The truth is that

America is so rich that political leaders could actually

produce some variant of that miracle if they had the will.

And, I suppose, if they thought there were votes in it.

Enough with the pious sanctimony about gay marriage and

abortion. If elected officials want to bring God talk into

public life, let it be the bedrock stuff, about charity and

mercy and the least of our brethren. Instead of the

performance art of the presidential debate, the candidates

should come to Holy Apostles and do what good people, people

of faith, do there every day--feed the hungry, comfort the

weary, soothe the afflicted. And wipe down the tables after

each seating. Here's a prayer for every politician: pasta,

collard greens, bread, cling peaches. Amen.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4220) to encourage the donation of excess food to nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to food-insecure people in the United States in contracts entered into by executive agencies for the provision, service, or sale of food, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4220, the Federal Food Donation Act, as amended, is a modest measure designed to help address the very large problem of hunger in America. In 2005, 25 million people in this country, including 9 million children, had to rely on soup kitchens and other charitable food programs to help meet their nutritional needs.

Introduced by Representative Jo Ann Emerson, H.R. 4220 requires Federal agencies to include in their food service and space rental contracts a provision that would encourage contractors to donate any surplus food to nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to the hungry. This bill builds on the work of some innovative nonprofit organizations that have been conducting similar programs in the private sector.

The bill also includes provisions that will ensure that costs of collecting, transporting and storing donated food would not be borne by the Federal Government and that executive agencies and contractors would be protected from civil or criminal liability.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Together we can feed America in this rich country.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to Mr. McGovern, the gentleman from Massachusetts, who led us earlier on this very issue and succeeded in getting increases in food stamps this very year.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, years ago, nonprofits, mostly churches, fed people at Christmas and Thanksgiving. These nonprofits have become life-saving, year-round operations. What has occurred ironically over the past couple of years is a development that none of us anticipated, a shortage of food in

these food banks of whatever description, and they come in part because of the efficiency of the food industry itself.

The food industry itself has become increasingly, like many other industries in our country, increasingly efficient so that there is less food to give away. We greet and welcome that efficiency, and we understand the need for it, especially in the food industry where the profit margins are so narrow. At the same time, our agricultural industry has become increasingly efficient, and it is, of course, one of the most efficient industries in the country.

The net effect of this is some food goes abroad. Very importantly is that there is less food that is excess food to give away, so that you have nonprofits throughout the country, some of them have been cited in the remarks of my colleagues because they are well known as having originated here, like the Capital Food Bank; Bread for the City; SOME, So Others May Eat; and not to mention the churches which were the first to step up and perform this service.

We just have got to find a way to get what we know is excess food, that all of us understand, have seen, all of us know exists, to where that food is most needed; and I believe that of the many things we could do, the bill offered by Mrs. Emerson is certainly one way to begin to draw attention to what contractors may do as an act of goodwill, without incurring any burden on themselves. Indeed, it should be a great burden at a time like this to spoil or throw away any food.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2420, the Federal Food Donation Act of 2008. This bill would require a clause in federal food services contracts greater than $25,000 to encouraging donations to nonprofit organizations, such as food banks and food pantries.

I have been active in the fight against hunger for over two decades. Following my first visit to Ethiopia during its famine in 1984, I worked across the aisle to fight hunger both at home and abroad. I was pleased to work for the passage of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act of 1996 that protected organizations donating food to charitable organizations from liability in order to spur greater donations.

However, I am concerned that rising food commodity prices and gasoline prices could hamper efforts by food banks and food pantries to meet the needs of the hungry. In meeting with charitable organizations in my congressional district, it is clear that the business

community and government agencies could be doing much more to support efforts to a growing number of families relying on food assistance from charitable organizations.

Anyone who has visited a grocery store in the last year understands the challenge our food banks are facing. U.S. grocery prices increased 5.1 percent overall during the last year, with a 17-percent increase in cost for dairy products, a 13-percent increase for rice and pasta, and a 12-percent increase in the cost of breads. This has a tremendous impact on the bottom line for American families. For example, if a family earns $45,000 a year, it now costs them an extra $1,000 to maintain the same food, gas, and basic goods purchases compared to 2006--a 9.6-percent increase. This makes more families dependent on food assistance, and even more affluent families less likely to donate to food banks and food pantries.

I am proud that the food banks and food pantries, grocery stores, and chambers of commerce in my district are coming together to raise awareness of this challenge and develop community-based solutions. Given the large federal agency presence in my district, I believe that this bill will help supplement their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this pragmatic and necessary legislation.

Mr. Speaker, with 35 million individuals, including 12 million children, either experiencing hunger or teetering right on the verge of hunger each year, the American people expect us to take every reasonable action possible to address this crisis.

The American people are generous with their time and with their resources. And particularly, during the Christmas season, they're willing to make the extra effort to donate their time at a soup kitchen or provide groceries to a food pantry. Unfortunately, the need for these donations is real and it's growing.

The Federal Food Donation Act is one small way the Federal Government can mirror the everyday lives of the constituents we serve. This legislation would require executive agencies who serve food on their premises to encourage the donation of excess food to nonprofit organizations. Such food rescue efforts can be particularly useful to the more than 43,000 soup kitchens and food pantries on the front lines battling hunger. Our constituents are willing to search through their pantries to donate excess food, and so should we.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis for their efforts on behalf of the hungry. The changes to this legislation made during committee markup are an improvement that will enhance the scope and impact this legislation will have.

I'd also like to thank their dedicated staff for their time and counsel in drafting this legislation.

I'd also like to particularly thank the dedicated individuals at Rock It and Wrap It Up for their efforts in conceiving and promoting this concept. This nonprofit organization has specialized in food recovery and has been thinking outside the box in the battle against hunger for years.

Mr. Speaker, the effects of rising food prices have already been felt by our partners who serve the hungry. We learned today from the U.S. Conference of Mayors that their constituents are seeking emergency food aid more frequently and more homeless families are seeking shelter. More resources are clearly needed.

The Federal Food Donation Act may be a small step in the overall battle against hunger, but it is one worth taking.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 4220.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2420) to encourage the donation of excess food to nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to food-insecure people in the United States in contracts entered into by executive agencies for the provision, service, or sale of food.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, S. 2420, the Federal Food Donation Act, is a modest measure designed to help address a very large problem, hunger in America. In 2005, 25 million people in this country, including 9 million children, had to rely on soup kitchens and other charitable feeding programs to help meet their nutritional needs.

S. 2420 is very similar to legislation introduced by Representative Jo Ann Emerson, H.R. 4220, which passed the House on a voice vote last December. It requires Federal agencies to include in their food service and space rental contracts a provision which encourages contractors to donate any surplus wholesome food to nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to the hungry. This bill builds on the work of some innovative nonprofit organizations and think tanks that have been conducting similar programs in the private sector.

The bill also includes provisions which would ensure that cost of collecting, transporting and storing donated food would not be borne by the Federal Government, and that executive agencies and contractors would be protected from civil or criminal liability.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge my colleagues to support this measure.