“President Trump has a tremendous opportunity to assure Americans that Washington will invest in our nation’s biggest asset – its people.”
Tonight President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address to Congress. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength executive chairman Billy Shore:
“The State of the Union address offers the president an opportunity to reshape our country’s political narrative and assure Americans that Washington will invest in our nation’s biggest asset – its people.
Long-term investments that put people first require political courage. We will look to the president to demonstrate it to better the lives of everyday Americans and protect the most vulnerable among us, like the 13 million kids living with hunger in the U.S.
If we want a strong country we need to have strong kids. One way to achieve this is by ending the scourge of child hunger. And, while poverty is complicated, feeding a child is not.
We know how to connect children in need to programs like school breakfast and summer meals. We know federal nutrition programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), close the gap between children who have enough to eat and those who don’t. And, we know these critical programs, which improve health conditions and boost academic achievement, are at least one ingredient needed to break the cycle of poverty.
Congress has enough issues to disagree on. Building a nation that is healthier, stronger, smarter and more economically competitive shouldn’t be one of them. It starts with prioritizing the protection and strengthening of nutrition and anti-poverty programs, which already have strong, longstanding bipartisan support. It starts with investing in our kids.”
Contact: Christy Felling at 202-320-4483 or cfelling@strength.org
ABOUT BILLY SHORE
Billy Shore has been a leader in the fight against hunger since 1984, when he founded the national anti-hunger nonprofit Share Our Strength. In 2010, Share Our Strength created the No Kid Hungry campaign, which is focused on ending childhood hunger in America. Shore also served as a Congressional appointee to the National Commission on Hunger, a group tasked with finding innovative ways to end hunger in America.
ABOUT NO KID HUNGRY
No child should go hungry in America, but 1 in 6 kids will face hunger this year. Using proven, practical solutions, No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger today by ensuring that kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast, are able to get the nutrition they need during the summertime, and families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on a budget. When we all work together, we can make sure kids get the healthy food they need. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength.