Hunger And Food Security
We must strengthen programs that reduce hunger and improve nutrition for American families, including food stamps (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Summer Food Service Program, and federal assistance for local food banks. Nearly 75% of SNAP recipients are families with children, and more than a quarter of SNAP recipients are households with seniors or people with disabilities. I took the SNAP Challenge during my first year in Congress and lived off of $4.50 a day for food—to demonstrate the modest benefit SNAP recipients get, and underscore that we shouldn’t be reducing any part of America’s food safety net.
Food security is essential to the development and academic success of our nation’s children. That is why I am a cosponsor of the Summer Meals Act, which would expand access to meals during the summer, holidays, and weekends, and why I am calling for increased funding for our federal school meals programs, which – even with the $0.06 increase from the 2010 authorization of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act –remain woefully inadequate.