BARRE, VT -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 12/05/07 -- The three major food banks of northern New
England -- Good Shepherd Food Bank (ME), New Hampshire Food Bank, and the
Vermont Foodbank -- are urging their Senators to press for the speedy
passage of the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) currently stalled in a partisan debate
on the Senate floor. "More than 200,000 low-income people in our region
will benefit from the additional food benefits once this bill moves to
enactment," said Doug O'Brien, CEO of the Vermont Foodbank. The Farm Bill
would provide more than $5.3 billion in new spending for Food Stamps and
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a program that provides USDA
commodities to charities for people in need. In the northern New England
states, nearly $5 million in new food assistance spending would be provided
next year if the Senate bill is enacted, and more than $30 million in food
assistance over next five years.
"We are very concerned with the effects that rising costs of fuel, heating
oil, and food have on the people we serve. They already have a difficult
time meeting their basic needs. We need the relief that the Farm Bill
provides, now," stated Rick Small, Executive Director of the Good Shepherd
Food Bank in Auburn, Maine.
"It is a very challenging time for us; food banks are struggling more than
ever to meet the increased demand for food. I urge the Senate to pass the
Farm Bill in a timely manner so that relief will come quickly to the North
East," said Melanie Gosselin, Executive Director, New Hampshire Food Bank.
The Senate returned from their two week Thanksgiving recess on December 3rd
to an impending Farm Bill debate as food banks around the country are
suffering from a more than 70 percent decline in support from a federal
food aid program in recent years. In Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont,
USDA commodity donations fell to a five year low, and at the same time
requests for food assistance are on the rise in all three states.
The House of Representatives passed its version of a Farm Bill in July.
The House bill would provide more than $4 billion in new investment in
federal nutrition programs and boost the currently sparse supply of
commodities available through the nation's charitable food distribution
system. Specifically, it would raise current levels of mandatory support
for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to $250 million annually
and index the amount for inflation.
Currently, debate on the Farm Bill is stalled in the Senate over
amendments. And this comes at a time when northern New Englanders are
suffering the effects of winter storms and increased fuel and utility
costs, rising food prices, and anxiety about wages, jobs and homeownership.
And while Members of Congress struggle to make tough decisions that are
necessary to pass the Farm Bill, more than 200,000 northern New Englanders
are forced to make tough choices about accessing the charitable food system
to provide adequate nutrition for their families.
"We are calling on the leadership from both sides of the aisle to work
together to pass a Farm Bill," said Doug O'Brien, Vermont Foodbank CEO.
"Food banks in the region are struggling with perilously depleted
inventories and without a Farm Bill, with a strong nutrition title, more
than 200,000 northern New Englanders are at greater risk of hunger."
Good Shepherd Food Bank
Good Shepherd Food Bank is Maine's largest hunger relief organization,
providing food to a network of more than 600 agencies statewide. These
include food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless and abuse shelters, group
and foster homes, special programs for children and services to the elderly
and shut-ins. Each month, more than 1.5 million meals are served in a
collaborative effort to Feed Maine's Hungry. For more information about
Good Shepherd's services, please visit www.gsfb.org
New Hampshire Food Bank
A program of New Hampshire Catholic Charities, the New Hampshire Food Bank
serves as the only food bank in the state. Our current approach to ending
hunger includes developing programs to help educate our member agencies,
rolling out a Mobile Food Pantry, and expanding our Operation Frontline
program. This year the Food Bank will distribute nearly 4.5 million pounds
of donated, surplus food to over 350 food pantries, soup kitchens,
shelters, day care centers, senior citizen homes and substance abuse
treatment centers. These member agencies in turn provide the food to the
nearly 95,000 hungry men, women and children throughout New Hampshire. The
New Hampshire Food Bank is a member of America's Second Harvest - The
Nation's Food Bank Network. www.nhfoodbank.org
Vermont Foodbank, Inc.
The Vermont Foodbank, a statewide organization, is the largest hunger
relief charity in Vermont, providing more than 6 million pounds of food to
270 local partner agencies in all 14 counties last year. The Vermont
Foodbank and its partners served more than 66,000 needy Vermonters with
more than 5 million meals in 2006. The Vermont Foodbank is a member of
America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network. For facts and
figures on hunger and poverty, to sign-up to receive our newsletter, to
find a food shelf in your community, and to learn about the Federal
Nutrition Programs, visit us on the web at www.vtfoodbank.org
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Contact
Judy Stermer
Vermont Foodbank
w. 802-477-4108
c. 734-604-0096
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