“We look forward to working with Secretary Vilsack and the Department of Agriculture in fighting the hunger crisis our nation is facing,” says Lisa Davis.
Contact: Meredith Jorss, mjorss@strength.org
Washington, DC - This afternoon, the Senate confirmed Tom Vilsack as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength Senior Vice President Lisa Davis.
“Share Our Strength congratulates Tom Vilsack on his confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Secretary Vilsack is a long-standing champion of kids and families in need. His proven record of action on their behalf and, at a time when we are facing an alarming rise in childhood hunger as a result of the pandemic, his deep knowledge of nutrition programs and the Department will allow him to take swift and immediate action to address the crisis.
Before the pandemic hit, we were on a pathway to end child hunger, with food insecurity rates at their lowest level since 1998. But the COVID-19 crisis has erased decades of progress. Today, as many as 17 million children are facing hunger, with Black and Latino communities most at risk.
If we don’t act now, we will face a lost generation of children, and the hunger that kids face today will change the rest of their lives.
In order for our country to recover from this pandemic, we must ensure all children have the opportunity to be safe and nourished, and to live up to their full potential. This means prioritizing policies designed to address the geographic, cultural and racial inequities that have left too many behind.
We are confident that Secretary Vilsack will ensure that every child has equitable access to critical federal nutrition programs and we look forward to working in partnership with the Secretary and the USDA to address our nation’s hunger crisis.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 4 kids could face hunger this year. 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.