The fight to end hunger

Nearly 40 million Americans are struggling with food insecurity and don't know where their next meal will come from.

For many years now, our movement has been working to end hunger and food insecurity in America. We made major progress in September when – at our urging – the White House hosted a conference focused on ending hunger by 2030.

This was a big deal. We hadn't had a conference like this in 50 years.

Of course, the work is not over. It has just begun. And we can't do it alone. We're coming up on our critical end-of-the-month fundraising deadline. Can you chip in now?

So far, we've developed a national strategy to end hunger. And in the last four months, we have already started to see changes big and small, working toward our shared goal of ending food insecurity.

The USDA has proposed changes to WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) that support more equitable access to nutritious foods. Strengthening the WIC program and reducing disparities within our existing anti-hunger safety net build on the conference's momentum and directly reflect key objectives within the Administration's new national strategy.

Together, these changes will make a tangible difference in the lives of low-income mothers, infants, and children in communities where quality food is often too expensive or not available.

The omnibus spending bill we passed helps families with school-aged kids, who receive free and reduced-price school meals during the school year, afford healthy, nutritious food during the summer months. Addressing childhood hunger through free school meals is part of the national strategy to end hunger released at the White House conference this September.

Finally, my Food Donation Improvement Act was recently signed into law by President Biden. This bipartisan bill addresses the problem of food waste in this country by making it easier for small businesses (such as small restaurants and farms) to donate unused but perfectly good food to food recovery organizations. For too long, we've had a mismatch between those who need food and those who have extra. This bill will take a big step toward addressing that mismatch and moving us closer to our goal of ending hunger by 2030.

I always say that we have the ability to end hunger; we just need the political will to get it done. We have so much momentum right now, will you keep it going and chip in before our end-of-the-month fundraising deadline?

In this new Congress, I believe this is one thing we can all agree on. In the wealthiest country in the world, no one should wonder where their next meal is coming from. We must push forward and end hunger once and for all.

Thank you for your support in the fight to end hunger and food insecurity.

Jim