Release No. 0493.99

Remarks by Sec. Dan Glickman
Mayors Conference Hunger Report
Washington, DC -- December 16, 1999

Good morning. The first thing I want to do is thank the Mayors for all their efforts on behalf of the people in America who've somehow been left behind, who've not benefited from these wonderful economic times. The Mayors and USDA have worked together in the past on hunger issues and today we've agreed to work even more closely together to develop additional anti-
hunger strategies.

The thrust of why we're here today is to put a spotlight on the fact that, despite the extraordinary economy, more Americans are in need of food assistance and have not been getting it. It's that simple and that critical.

As the Mayors' report points out all too clearly, there is a continuing trend in which food banks, food pantries, and other feeding groups are having to serve an increasing number of Americans in need.

Even more startling is the fact that the number of people forced to rely on food from charities is growing so rapidly that these groups have had to turn people away because they are out of food.  That's just not acceptable.

We know from our own numbers that millions of Americans -- children, the working poor, the elderly, legal immigrants -- are struggling to put food on the table. 

Another most disturbing trend found in a report on food stamp participation rates that we are releasing today is that more than one-third of all people eligible for food stamps have not been taking advantage of this program and, frankly, we're not sure why. Part of the reason is the incredible economy that is flourishing under President Clinton. But we also believe that part of
the reason is that many people, especially those with low-wage jobs, confuse food stamps with other government assistance and therefore think they are not eligible.

The results of this comprehensive study are bolstered by recent statistics that show a steady decline in overall food stamp participation since 1993. Add to that the fact that food stamp participation is declining 3 times the rate of poverty, and it's clear people are going without, when they don't have to.

That's why this summer President Clinton rolled out a food stamp awareness campaign to get the word out that there is help for those who need it.

At USDA we're taking many steps to combat the continuing problem of hunger in America. We continue to promote new ideas for gleaning and food recovery efforts both public and private.  And while the nutritional well-being of many households that include legal immigrants continue to be at risk, I'm proud that this Administration was able to persuade Congress to restore food
stamps to many other legal immigrants who had been denied assistance. 


One little known fact is that at USDA we use some of our funds to more than double the allotment provided by Congress under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to purchase food and donate it to food pantries. Last year alone we provided $107 million of nutrient-rich products such as frozen beef and canned seafood -- that's nearly four times the amount we provided as recently as 1997. More evidence of the need out there. 

This year we launched our Community Food Security Initiative to help develop grass-roots efforts to fight hunger. And the national food stamp outreach campaign is now making it possible for communities to produce materials such as brochures and posters to get the word out at the local level. And I'm proud that the Mayors will be working closely with us in this effort.

For children, there are two programs I would like to highlight one is new, and one is underutilized. The new program provides after-school snacks for children, including teens in after-school programs. The program is available to both schools and community organizations.  The underutilized program is the Summer Food Service Program, which provides meals to needy
children during the long school vacation. Children don't stop being hungry just because the school doors are closed. This program is also available to schools and community organizations.  The Mayors have been terrific partners in helping these programs along and I look forward to their continuing efforts in this area.

To help ensure that all nutrition assistance programs are working effectively in towns and communities across the country, USDA has developed a Community Food Security Tool Kit, which can help spot potential barriers to effective delivery of nutrition assistance. The tool kit will be available very soon on the USDA web site (www.usda.gov ); I encourage every community to get a copy.

And, as I do wherever I go, I want to call on the Mayors to continue to do whatever they can to build stronger gleaning and food recovery efforts at the local level. USDA has gleaning coordinators and Community Food Security liasons in every state that can help get communities over the hump and build up local anti-hunger infrastructures. 

Our economy is the best it's been in decades. There is no better time than right now to solve the hunger problem, once and for all. As the saying goes, the best time to fix the roof is not when it's raining, but when the sun is shining. Well the sun is shining in most, but not all of America.  We can change that.

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