Political Quotes

“today is National Hunger Awareness Day, and I rise to recognize the importance of ending domestic hunger. Domestic hunger has affected the lives of more than 38 million people in the United States annually. This includes over 14 million children who live below the poverty line. The face of hunger is diverse. In Illinois, one in every ten people is food insecure. Homeless people are often hunger, but so are single mothers working two jobs to make ends meet. So are our senior citizens whose income does not allow them to eat adequately. In Chicago, only 9 percent of the half-million people who seek services from the Chicago Food Depository are homeless. Many people simply cannot afford the food they need and often seek emergency food programs. How can this happen in a country as privileged as ours? Remember that 37 million Americans are living in poverty. Many low-income families are supported by jobs that do not pay livable wages. It could be that paying the health care or housing bills is more than they can manage. America's Second Harvest released a National Hunger Study showing that in Chicago, 41 percent of households neglect their food budget to cover utility costs. It may be a combination of factors, but the food budget is often the first thing they cut. Today, we celebrate and commend the heroic efforts of emergency food banks, soup kitchens, school meal programs and community pantries working to ease the pain of hunger.…”