releases: https://web.archive.org/web/20131123140358/http://wolf.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=34&itemid=2323
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://web.archive.org/web/20131123140358/http://wolf.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=34&itemid=2323 | Wolf Op-Ed: Virginia Can And Should Work Harder To Combat Hunger | 2013-10-25 | 2013 | 2013-10 | Republican | House | VA | Frank Wolf | W000672 | web.archive.org | legacy | Contact: Jill Shatzen (202) 225-5136 OP-ED OP-ED OP-ED OP-ED WOLF: VIRGINIA CAN AND SHOULD WORK HARDER TO COMBAT HUNGER Washington, D.C. (October 25, 2013) – Last year, the USDA reported a record number of Americans are struggling to put food on their tables. Across the nation, 49 million people – including 17 million children and 6 million seniors – are going hungry, a number that has grown substantially over the last two years, even since the start of the recession. Because of high unemployment and underemployment rates nationwide, local food banks and pantries are struggling to keep up with demand, even during this period of economic recovery. In some cases, families that once were regular food donors are finding themselves in line for food assistance themselves. Media outlets have reported that military families are regularly visiting local food banks, some of which have had to close their doors all together as their shelves go bare. As the holidays approach, food drives will be held in offices, churches and communities all over America, and backpacks will be stuffed with canned items. But what happens to families in need during the other 10 months out of the year? Where will they turn after the holidays are over when the resources stop coming in? It’s simply unacceptable that people are going hungry in America, the land of plenty and the world’s wealthiest nation. And frankly, this is a solvable problem that deserves attention. I’ve proposed several ways to ensure food is distributed to those in need year round, at no cost to taxpayers, such as the National Commission on Hunger, an amendment I proposed that passed the House Appropriations Committee this past summer. Yet there are things we can do here in Virginia as well. I commend Governor McDonnell for his leadership and effort on this issue. During his Governorship, McDonnell regularly volunteered at local food banks and brought awareness to the problem of hunger in Virginia by issuing a proclamation to make September “Hunger Action Month” and encouraging Virginians to wear orange. The month included volunteer activities, food and fund drives, as well as ways to encourage the public to support the efforts of Feeding America and its network of more than 200 food banks and partner agencies. Following the election, I will be contacting the new Governor to work with him to continue McDonnell’s efforts in several ways. First, a statewide hunger initiative should be organized where the Governor’s office calls on all state agencies, schools, businesses, churches and civic organizations to commit to participating in a rolling food drive to re-stock the shelves of local food pantries year-round. For example, schools could donate in the late winter, churches and civic organizations in the spring, businesses in the summer and state agencies in the fall in order to ensure steady donations of food to pantries throughout the calendar year. Each cabinet agency would be in charge of its own efforts, and the Governor could honor the organization that donates the most food and even develop marketing campaigns to raise public awareness. If successful, this effort could be repeated and even modeled in other states. Next, the state should develop a central “one-stop” Web site for all food banks and food pantries to provide information for donors, volunteers and clients, rather than the scattered and copious Web sites that currently exist and are difficult to navigate. By centralizing the information in one place, the state could provide a platform for donors and volunteers to easily locate the closest food bank or pantry, learn what items are needed and how they can get involved, provide contact information for each food pantry, provide churches, civic groups and businesses with “real time” information on food shortages in each area, and much more. Finally, we should require states to donate unused food and clear up any misguidance on liability issues schools fear they face if they give away unused food. The Governor should take a leadership role in educating schools about the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, which legally protects schools from liability – a common deterrent among many schools – and allow donations of excess food to local pantries. In 2011, language that I authored was signed into law making this explicitly clear --schools can donate food without fear of liability. Sadly, many school districts have been unwilling to donate excess food due to administrative resistance and a misperception that federal regulation doesn’t allow it. The purpose of the law is simple: to keep excess school food out of the garbage and get it to our food banks. The Governor should require each school to authorize the cafeteria manager to release excess food to local food banks with the manager’s contact information to facilitate relationships. With these initiatives, we can and will combat the hunger problem that exists in Northern Virginia and all over the country. For more on Wolf’s work to end hunger in the 10th District, click here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |