“Hunger does not have a political party, and neither should our resolve to address it,” says Filipic.
Contact: Meredith Jorss, mjorss@strength.org
Washington, DC — Millions of Americans cast their ballots yesterday in election races across the country. As votes continue to be counted and we await the final results in contests nationwide, Republicans have received enough votes to take control of the U.S. Senate and Donald Trump has been declared the president-elect. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength’s CEO Anne Filipic on the path forward to end childhood hunger.
“The outcomes of yesterday’s elections will undoubtedly shape policies that affect millions of families across the country. Today, we must recommit ourselves to advocating for and protecting children across our country. Every child, no matter where they come from or their family circumstance, deserves access to nutritious food and the chance to grow up healthy, educated and strong.
“Our commitment to ensure that no child in America goes hungry transcends politics and elections. Childhood hunger is still a solvable problem and one that unites us as Americans. Our recent polling shows that 90% of respondents in Texas, Florida, Virginia and New York—states representing a diversity of political opinions—believe ending childhood hunger should be a bipartisan issue.
“It’s now time to move with urgency and turn words into action—to break down systemic barriers that limit access to essential resources; to support programs and policies that promote dignity, opportunity and equitable access to the resources that all families deserve. To do that, our elected leaders must strengthen SNAP so more parents can purchase groceries for their families. They must expand the Child Tax Credit so more families have the resources they need to feed their kids and chart a pathway out of poverty. And they must support school and summer meal programs, so more children can focus on learning.
“To make this a reality, we will continue working with leaders at all levels of government and on both sides of the aisle to prioritize every child’s health and wellbeing. Hunger does not have a political party, and neither should our resolve to address it. No matter who holds positions of power, Share Our Strength will continue its 40-year dedication to building a better future for kids and their families.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.