–Anti-Hunger Organizations Unite, Calling on Biden Administration to Address Food Insecurity in America–
NEW YORK (February 28, 2022) – Noreen Springstead, executive director of WhyHunger, issued the following statement as anti-hunger organizations call for the Biden Administration to reinstate the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health. This movement comes over 50 years after the first, and only, White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health resulted in more than 1,800 policy recommendations to reduce hunger and promote nutrition and health.
“As one of the wealthiest countries in the world, there is no reason why America faces one of the largest rates of food insecurity. Hunger in America is a political choice. WhyHunger’s co-founder, Harry Chapin, was instrumental in the first Presidential Commission on World Hunger held by former President Jimmy Carter’s Administration in 1978. We are proud to follow in his footsteps to continuously advocate for transformational policies and increased government funding aimed at striking at the root causes of hunger and ensuring the human right to nutritious food for all.
The need to rethink our national approach to issues of hunger, and rising food insecurity rates, exacerbated by the pandemic and rates of inflation, is more important than ever. Now is the time to shine a light on food insecurity and instate new, bold legislation to help promote nutrition and health in our nation and end hunger once and for all. At WhyHunger we believe that true solutions to solving the hunger crisis lie in environmental, racial, economic and social justice, and in order to achieve these solutions immediate action from our leaders must be taken. We thank Congressman James McGovern (D-MA), Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) for uniting to introduce a bipartisan, bicameral bill to convene the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health. We fully support and urge others to join WhyHunger in signing this letter urging President Biden to prioritize a White House Conference dedicated to finding solutions to end the hunger epidemic.
A second White House Conference is essential to bringing together a broad coalition of activists, advocates, community-based organizations, legislators, grassroot and BIPOC communities and people directly impacted by hunger to comprehensively address food, hunger, nutrition, and health. We cannot continue with a business-as-usual approach that relies on band-aid solutions that mask the deeper systemic inequities that keep people poor, hungry and oppressed. This is the moment for a sustainable, concrete plan that addresses hunger’s root causes head on, ensuring that access to healthy and nutritious food is a basic human right for all. We can end hunger in America, and a public commitment to a White House Conference, is an essential step in achieving this goal once and for all.”
More information on the White House Conference can be found here. Organizations who would like to sign the letter can do so here, and individuals can sign on here.
About WhyHunger
Founded in 1975 by the late Harry Chapin and radio DJ Bill Ayres, WhyHunger believes a world without hunger is possible. We provide critical resources to support grassroots movements and fuel community solutions rooted in social, environmental, racial and economic justice. A four-star rated charity by Charity Navigator, with highest ratings for excellence in fiscal management accountability and transparency, WhyHunger is working to end hunger and advance the human right to nutritious food in the U.S. and around the world. 90 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to programmatic work. Learn more at whyhunger.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
